Israeli police launched a wide-scale detention campaign on Monday against Palestinian citizens of Israel as part of a harsh crackdown on protests which erupted against the occupation state’s brutal attacks on Gaza, as well as against the planned expulsion of Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Thousands of Israeli border police officers and reserve brigades began work on arresting over 500 Arab-Israelis as part of a campaign codenamed ‘Operation Law and Order’ allegedly hoping to “settle accounts” with the Arabs over their participation in the protests.

Israel is continuing "Operation Law and Order" – actual name – which is effectively arresting 2,000+ Palestinian civilians for participating in sit-ins and protests in opposition to Israeli police brutality, ethnic cleansing, and human right violations over the past few weeks. pic.twitter.com/ADZMk7uFOP

— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) May 24, 2021

As part of the campaign, the forces are carrying out violent arrests, turning up at residences, and intimidating minors and families in their impoverished communities across Israel.

Over the last two weeks, Israel has arrested more than 1,550 Palestinian citizens of Israel, and indicted 150 of them, accusing them of causing disorder.

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that 500 of the Palestinians who took part in the demonstrations were classified by the police as criminals.

Beginning today and over the next 48 hours, #Israeli police will invade the homes of hundreds of #Palestinian citizens of #Israel to arrest 500 young Palestinians to “settle accounts.” The plan entitled “Operation Law and Order” will be implemented by Israeli state forces. pic.twitter.com/G8rnswSKB7

— Najwan Berekdar (@NajwanBer) May 23, 2021

Director of the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah), Hasan Jabareen, slammed the arrest campaign as a “declaration of war against Palestinian protestors, political activists and minors to take revenge against them for their recent political and national positions”.

About 2.5 million Palestinians live in Israel. In a recent report, Human Rights Watch warned that Palestinian citizens of Israel face “institutional discrimination … including widespread restrictions on accessing land confiscated from them, home demolitions, and effective prohibitions on family reunification.”

(MEMO, PC, Social Media)