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Israel releases Palestinian Jerusalem governor to house arrest
JERUSALEM, Dec 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Israeli court on Sunday released the
Palestinian governor of Jerusalem from detention to house arrest for three
days as part of an investigation related to a land sale.
Adnan Gheith, who was arrested on November 25, will be confined to his
home through Tuesday, Jerusalem magistrate court justice Chavi Toker ruled.
Police have been investigating Gheith over suspicions he was involved in
the Palestinian Authority’s arrest in October of America-Palestinian Issam
Akel, who is accused of involvement in selling an east Jerusalem building to
Jewish buyers.
Such sales are considered treasonous among Palestinians concerned with
Israeli settlers buying property in annexed east Jerusalem.
Police also suspect Gheith of recruiting Palestinian residents of Jerusalem
to the PA armed forces, which Israel says violates the 1993 Oslo accords.
Palestinian officials have condemned his arrest and claim it is intended to
pressure the Palestinian leadership over Akel’s case.
Israelis, as well as US ambassador David Friedman, have called for Akel’s
release.
Geith’s lawyer, Rami Othman, said the court’s decision to release his
client to house arrest proved the case was not serious.
“The mountain gave birth to a mouse,” Othman told AFP.
“They want to harass him,” he said following Sunday’s hearing.
He said they did not want him to remain Jerusalem governor. “They don’t
like the position.”
Gheith had been arrested for several days in October and was also taken for
questioning a number of times in recent weeks, with his office raided on
November 4.
Israel meanwhile has halted security coordination with the PA in the
Jerusalem area, Major General Adnan Al-Dumeiri, spokesman for the Palestinian
security forces, told AFP.
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said that ending the coordination was a
means in pressuring the Palestinians to release Akel from detention.
Security officials in Israel would not comment on the issue.
Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it
in a move never recognised by the international community.
It considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see the
eastern sector as the capital of their future state.
PA activities are barred from Jerusalem by Israel.
As a result, the PA has a minister for Jerusalem affairs and a Jerusalem
governor located in Al-Ram, just on the other side of Israel’s separation
wall from the city in the occupied West Bank.
BSS/AFP/RY/1848 hrs