Regional United Nations representative Michael Williams said Thursday that he is “concerned” by the arrest of 33 senior members of the Hamas terrorist organization overnight Thursday. While acknowledging that the detainees’ status as members of the Palestinian Authority parliament does not make them immune from prosecution, Williams complained that in many cases, Israel had “no charges against the detainees” other than their affiliation with Hamas.



IDF officials explained that membership in Hamas, which is a terrorist group dedicated to Israel’s destruction, is illegal in and of itself. The officials added that indictments against the Hamas members will be presented in the near future.