Israel arrests Palestinian poet from West Bank home

By Qais Abu Samra

HEBRON, Palestine

The Israeli army on Wednesday arrested prominent Palestinian author Israa Lafi, 34, from her home near the city of Hebron (Al-Khalil) in the occupied West Bank, according to Lafi’s father.

An Israeli army force raided and searched Lafi’s home before arresting her, the author’s father told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

He said his daughter had been threatened earlier by an Israeli intelligence officer because of her previous work with the Gaza-based Al-Aqsa television channel.

Before her arrest, Lafi had been posting media reports on her personal blog and writing for a number of Arab-language websites.

In 2015, Israeli forces arrested prominent Palestinian poet Darin Tatour, 34, from her home in the northern Galilee region.

The following year, an Israeli court slapped Tatour with five months behind bars after convicting her of “inciting violence”.