By Xinhua,
Ramallah : Palestinian security forces arrested 17 members of Hamas movement in the West Bank on Thursday, the Islamic movement said.
The arrests were conducted in West Bank cities of Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron and Tulkarem by security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, a Hamas statement said.
The arrests are part of a crackdown the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) launched against Hamas supporters in the West Bankafter Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force last year.
In Nablus, the security forced five students after storming their university residence in the city, the statement said. Also in Ramallah, the forces arrested a pro-Hamas journalist shortly after he was released from an Israeli detention.
The arrests took place as Egypt stepped up efforts to broker a national Palestinian reconciliation and launch a dialogue to end the feud between Hamas and Fatah.
Fatah accuses Hamas of launching a systematic crackdown againstits supporters in Gaza.