BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian press freedom group on Sunday condemned the arrest of a journalist last week by Palestinian Authority security forces.Walid Khalid, office director of the "Felesteen" newspaper, was arrested by PA security forces on Sept. 18 from his home in Salfit, the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms said.MADA called for the immediate release of Khalid and an end to the practice of arresting journalists by PA security forces.Journalists in the West Bank must be allowed to do their job, MADA added.Khalid was detained by Israeli forces on May 6, 2011 and spent more than a year in an Israeli jail, the group said.MADA says nine journalists were arrested in the West Bank by PA forces in the first six months of 2012.The press freedom group says that violations against journalists increase when tensions occur between rival factions Fatah and Hamas.Hamas said on Saturday that security services in the West Bank have continued to round up their members, after a spate of arrests on Wednesday was criticized by human rights groups. A Hamas statement said 120 party members had been arrested or summoned to report to security services since Wednesday.
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