Israeli occupation forces arrested on Thursday Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik in the West Bank.

Israeli occupation forces arrested on Thursday Palestinian Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik in the West Bank.

Dweik, a senior politician and a member of Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas, was arrested at an army checkpoint, his chief of staff, Bhaa Youssef, told Agence France Press.

The arrest happened in Jaba between Ramallah and Jerusalem as Dr Dweik was travelling by car to Hebron, Youssef added.

Witnesses said that Israeli soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded Dr Dweik before taking him to an unknown destination.

The Zionist entity has confirmed the arrest, with Israeli border troops claiming Dweik was detained for "involvement in terrorist activities".

Occupation forces have targeted Dweik before. In 2006, after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured by Hamas during a cross-border raid, the Zionist entity arrested Dweik and others and kept him in jail for nearly three years.