Israeli forces arrest Palestinian policeman in Yatta

Israeli forces arrested an off-duty Palestinian Authority policeman in Yatta on Friday, Ma'an's reporter said.

Firas Abu Aziza, 27, was detained by soldiers at a temporary checkpoint in Yatta and taken to an unknown location, witnesses said.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was looking into the incident.

Locals said that the attempted arrest of Abu Aziza in Hebron on Dec. 6, while he was on-duty, sparked clashes between Israeli soldiers in which 20 Palestinians were wounded.

During the incident, Abu Aziza had resisted the arrest and several fellow police officers rushed to his aid.

An Israeli army spokeswoman said around 250 Palestinians had hurled rocks at the soldiers, and they were responding with riot dispersal means.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian man suffered a critical head injury in clashes with the Israeli army in Yatta in the southern West Bank.