In a new incursion into Syrian territory, the Israeli occupation forces arrested four young men from the village of Jamlah in the western countryside of Daraa at dawn on Saturday, during a ground operation inside Syrian land, according to Syria’s official Al-Ikhbariyah television channel.
This latest military incursion marks another episode in the long series of violations that the occupation has committed against Syrian sovereignty for decades, ranging from repeated airstrikes and cross-border raids in the south, to the direct arrest of citizens within their own territory.
The entry of occupation forces into Syrian territory and the arrest of its residents constitute a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits any infringement upon the sovereignty of member states or interference in their internal affairs. It also contravenes the Fourth Geneva Convention, which forbids arbitrary arrests of civilians in areas under occupation or foreign military control.
Although these arrests come at a time when reports suggest attempts to open channels for de-escalation between Damascus and the Israeli occupation, the latter continues to impose its policy of faits accomplis through force, in total disregard of the principles of international law and fundamental human rights, foremost among them the right to liberty and personal security.
This incident adds to a long record of violations against Syrian territory since 1967, when the occupation seized most of the Golan Heights, later expanding its military presence in southern Syria following the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
The continued arrest of Syrian civilians and incursions into their territory represent a clear example of the occupation’s entrenched policy of impunity, one that still enjoys international cover, despite constituting a multifaceted breach of both international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
