Israeli undercover unit kidnaps three Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem

Occupied Jerusalem (QNN)- An Israeli undercover Special Forces last night kidnapped three Palestinians in the neighbourhood in occupied Jerusalem, local sources said.

The undercover unit, known as Mista’arvim, were assaulting Rami Salaheddine, 21, Lo’ai Kiswani, 22, and Abdullah Hadra, 25, and threatening them at gunpoint, before they kidnapped them.

The three had their hands tied to the back and taken to an unknown destination by the attacking force.

Watch | Undercover Israeli occupation forces brutally assaulted and beat up a Palestinian young man last night as they detained him in the occupied #Jerusalem neighborhood of Al-Tour. pic.twitter.com/GuncNfarHt

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 13, 2021

In recent weeks and months, Israel’s undercover Special Forces units have increased their activities against the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The units are responsible for the arrest and assassination of Palestinian resistance members wanted by the Israeli occupation authorities.

Last April, Israeli media reported about the establishment of a new Israeli police undercover unit intended to operate exclusively amongst the Palestinian population.

Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, described the decision as being racist, illegal, and unprecedented in democracies around the world.

The term Mista’arvim is derived from the Arabic word Musta’rib, meaning a non-Arab wanting to integrate with the Arabs; Musta’ribeen is the plural.

Members of these units are trained to know the Palestinian area in which they operate, the dialects spoken there and the names of well-known families. This helps them when they infiltrate a Palestinian town, either to gather intelligence, to arrest wanted persons or, sometimes, to carry out assassinations.

Members of the units use a number of means to carry out their tasks. They impersonate Arab individuals, join in alongside protestors and impersonate journalists to kill, arrest or take pictures of their targets.

They graduate from ordinary army units after passing out from a long and difficult training programme. Priority is given to those with Middle Eastern features, especially those with a darker skin who look like Arabs.

The Musta’ribeen will dress in the same style as the residents of the area of operation, either wearing locally made clothing or traditional Arab clothes.