Israeli forces detain two West Bank Hamas leaders

Ramallah: Israeli troops arrested two Hamas leaders in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, three days after they were detained by Fatah forces.

Faraj Rummana and Hussein Abu Kwaik were arrested in Ramallah for their "overall activities" in the Islamist group, an Israeli military spokesman.

The men were being interrogated but it was not immediately clear if they would be prosecuted, the spokeswoman said.

They previously served prison sentences in Israel for militant activities.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Preventive Security Service detained Rummana and Abu Kwaik on their public criticism of crackdowns on Hamas in the occupied West Bank.

A Palestinian security official told the two men before they were released to ensure that Hamas "did not make trouble" during US President George W. Bush's visit to the region.