Israel detains Hamas lawmaker

Israel: Israeli forces have arrested a member of parliament affiliated with the Palestinian movement of Hamas at his home in the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron). Hamas legislator Samir al-Qadi was detained on Thursday after the forces stormed his house in the village of Sorif, Palestinian security sources were quoted as saying by Xinhua.

He has been the 15th Hamas lawmaker to have been jailed by Israeli forces since October 2010, and the 6th caught after Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement with Palestinian party Fatah.

Fatah and Hamas announced their readiness on Tuesday to unveil a national unity government following a dispute over naming a premier. Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal are now set to finalize the formation of a new unity administration in the Egyptian capital Cairo on June 21.

According to Palestinian security sources, the Hamas legislator had previously spent three and a half years in an Israeli jail before being released in November 2009 along with several other West Bank lawmakers including the speaker of the Palestinian parliament Aziz Dweik.

Press TV