Israel rounds up 12 Palestinians in occupied West Bank

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army has detained at least 12 Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank.

In a Thursday statement, the army said that the 12 had been rounded up for taking part in “hostile popular activities”.

It did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged activities.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

According to estimates, more than 6,000 Palestinians are currently languishing in Israeli detention facilities, including women, children and a handful of lawmakers.

International law views the West Bank -- which includes East Jerusalem -- as "occupied territory".