ICRC condemns arrest of Palestinian Legislative Council member

Tehran, Sept 27, IRNA - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has condemned the arrest of members of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Jerusalem on Monday.

In connection with the arrest of a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmed Attoun, the ICRC is calling upon the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law.

Attoun, together with another member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mohammed Totah, and a former minister for Jerusalem affairs, Khaled Abu Arafeh, had been staging a sit-in on the premises of the ICRC since July 1, 2010 to protest against a decision taken by the Israeli authorities to deport them, a press release issued by the ICRC said.

Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibits Israel, regardless of its motive, from forcibly transferring Palestinians.

Under international humanitarian law, East Jerusalem is an occupied territory, and its Palestinian residents are protected persons within the meaning of Article 4 of the Fourth Geneva Convention./end