Israeli Army Threatens to Arrest 10-Month-Old Palestinian Baby

Israeli soldiers threatened to arrest the 10-month-old daughter of a slain Palestinian man, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces last November, as they stormed his town and home Sunday, witnesses told the local Ma’an news agency.

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The interior of the house of Fadi Faroukh, who was shot and killed by the Israeli army last year for allegedly trying to stab a soldier, was destroyed in Sair town in the Hebron district of the occupied West Bank, according to his father Salih.

Salih told Ma’an amid resistance from the family, the troops “threatened to detain Fadi’s 10-month-old daughter.” Before they left Faroukh’s home the soldiers hung a written warning on the front door, addressing the family as well as all residents of Sair, according to Ma’an.

“In the wake of destructive attacks coming from your area against civilians, the Israeli defense forces and the Israeli security forces will operate with increased effort against terrorists and against anyone involved in such activity,” the warning read.

The recent raid on the town and Faroukh’s family comes just weeks after Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman revealed his controversial "carrot and stick" policy toward Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

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The strategy would see Israel collectively punishing the villages and towns from which attackers come through cuts to basic necessities like water and electricity and increased raids and harassment by the army, while granting economic benefits and relaxing the security measures in areas that "have not produced terrorists."

Lieberman said last month the policy’s aim is “to continue to give benefits to those who desire coexistence with us and make life difficult for those who seek to harm Jews.”

The Israeli army told Ma’an that the reports of the threats against the infant girl would be investigated while confirming that other raids and arrests had taken place in the surrounding areas as part of the new policy.

Sair town saw increased aggression from Israeli forces in recent months, with clashes breaking out regularly between residents and Israeli soldiers amid a new wave of unrest that has swept across the occupied West Bank and Israel since October claiming the lives of 220 Palestinians and some 32 Israelis, most of them soldiers.