By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Israeli army arrested 32 Palestinians in West Bank areas during overnight raids, the official Palestinian radio reported on Tuesday. Some 20 Palestinians were arrested in the holy city of Bethlehem and nine in Hebron town, said the radio, adding that other detentions took place in Nablus and Jenin. However, Israel Radio reported that only 27 wanted Palestinians were arrested.
Palestinian security sources noted that Israeli soldiers broke into several houses and arrested some of the residents during the raids, adding the detentions coincided with more restrictions Israel applied on the movement of the Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israel storms West Bank cities and launches large detention campaigns on daily basis despite a fresh visit to the region by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who talked with Israeli officials about easing the life of the West Bank residents. The latest arrests also took place less than 24 hours afte rIsraeli Premier Ehud Olmert met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to evaluate peace negotiations.