Israel arrests Palestinian over West Bank protest

Israel has arrested a prominent Palestinian activist and sent him to a military prison for “interfering” with army’s work in the occupied West Bank on Saturday.

Abdullah Abu Rahma has had several run-ins with the army and has spent time in jail in the past for organising weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation barrier in the village of Bilin.

The activist, who has organised the protests for the past 11 years, was arrested again on Friday. He was moved to the Ofer military prison in the West Bank on Saturday and told his lawyer of what he has been accused of.

In February, an Israeli court handed Abu Rahma a four-month suspended sentence on similar charges. He was also arrested and jailed for 15 months in 2009 for coordinating the Bilin protests.