Sources in the Israeli Shin Bet security service confirmed Wednesday evening that it has arrested Abla Saadat, the wife of Ahmad Saadat, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Abla Saadat, 44, was first reported missing earlier Wednesday.
Family friends said Saadat was on her way to Jordan on Tuesday to fly to Brazil for a conference but had neither crossed the Allenby Bridge to Jordan nor returned home.
They said she was last seen at an Israeli inspection area at the bridge terminal and believe she was detained by the Israeli authorities. Some reports quoted a Palestinian as saying he saw her Tuesday afternoon on the Israeli side of the bridge terminal and she told him she was being arrested, Reuters reported.
"Abla Sa'adat was going to speak on the Israeli policy of political detention and she fell victim herself to that policy," said Khalil Abu Shammala, director of the Ad-Dameer Association for Human Rights in the Gaza Strip.
Ahmad Saadat is in a Palestinian Authority prison in Jericho, supervised by American and European officers.
In a statement in Damascus, the PFLP said it "holds the occupation authorities fully responsible for the results of this detention and warns against inflicting any harm on our comrade."
PFLP "demands her immediate release and urges human rights institutions and all relevant entities to intervene immediately for the release of our comrade," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested 13 Palestinians early Thursday. Two Palestinians were arrested in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, Israel Radio reporeted.
Eleven Hamas and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine activists were arrested in the West Bank. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
