BICOM

IDF soldiers arrested senior Hamas official, Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian Authority parliament on suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups yesterday, the Israeli military and Hamas have confirmed. Dweik was detained by soldiers at a checkpoint in Jabaa, between Ramallah and Jerusalem, as he was travelling to Hebron in the southern West Bank, according to WAFA, the official Palestinian Authority news agency.

Hamas have denounced the arrest, saying Israel was attempting to sabotage the work of the Palestinian parliament in unity talks. An IDF spokesperson has said Dwaik was detained for suspected terrorist activity. Duaik was previously arrested along with other Hamas officials in 2006 after militants abducted an Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He was released in 2009.

The Palestinian parliament has been inactive since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007 from its rival Palestinian faction Fatah. Since then, Fatah has governed the West Bank while Hamas has ruled Gaza. Both sides agreed a reconciliation deal last year, but it has yet to be implemented.