[Ma'an] A Czech activist was seized by the Israeli military during a late-night raid in Ramallah's city center on Monday. Eva Novakova, 28, the International Solidarity Movement's media coordinator, was detained from her Manara square residence at 3am Monday and carried out by soldiers, witnesses said and Israel's army confirmed.
During the raid, the army occupied a number of rooftops adjacent to the Palestinian Authority police headquarters in Ramallah, according to the ISM, a Palestinian-led movement committed to resisting Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
An Israeli military spokesman said forces carried out an operation to apprehend an individual who was illegally residing in Ramallah. He said the detainee was transferred to civilian police custody.
It was not immediately clear if the Israeli government considers Ramallah off-limits to foreigners.
According to Novakova's lawyer, Omer Shatz, Israel's "Oz" immigration task force also took part in the operation. Israeli security sources denied that the special police task force was involved.
In any case, Shatz noted that immigration police "work under the authority of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior, and as such have no jurisdiction in the occupied Palestinian territories. This arrest is part of the continued and illegal use of the immigration police against activists, for political purposes."
Shatz also said Novakova was being held in Givon detention center awaiting deportation to the Czech Republic. Agence France-Presse reported that the activist was already en route to Ben Gurion International Airport.
Last week, President Mahmoud Abbas said the PA was considering scaling back security ties with Israel on operations in certain Area A sites such as Ramallah, which were supposedly placed under PA security forces' full control in mid-2008. "If the coordination does not lead to a halt in the incursions and the provocations, we will think anew," Abbas said.
Monday's raid follows an arrest wave targeting activists and organizers throughout the West Bank. Such incursions have been conducted in the villages of Bil'in -- where 32 residents were arrested in the past six months, Ni'lin, where 94 residents were arrested in the past 18 months, as well as the larger Palestinian cities of Nablus, Ramallah and East Jerusalem, the ISM reported.
Among those detained in this recent campaign were five members of the Bil'in Popular Committee, accused of incitement, including Adeeb Abu Rahmah, who had already been held in detention for almost six months, and Abdallah Abu Rahmah, the Bil'in committee coordinator.
Activists Wael Al-Faqeeh, Jamal Juma and Mohammed Othman of the Stop the Wall organization, involved in anti-wall and boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigning, were also detained recently. All three were being held without charges and on secret evidence.