Israel arrested the governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, as part of a large campaign in the city and the West Bank, which also targeted members of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah movement, in addition to cadres and activists.
Occupation forces and intelligence members stormed the house of the governor, arrested him, and took him to the police station for investigations. Israel accuses Ghaith of “threatening state security and carrying out illegal activities,” referring to his role as the representative of the Palestinian president in Jerusalem. The occupation forces prohibit the authority to work in the city.
Ghaith was detained along with 21 Palestinians in the city. Israel arrested about 100 Palestinians before it decided to remove religious figures from Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the head of the Awqaf Council, Sheikh Abdelazim Salhab.
Palestinians said the arrests came in the wake of events in the Old City of Jerusalem after Palestinians managed to open the Gate of Mercy prayer hall on Friday after a 16-year closure.
The Islamic Awqaf Council held an emergency meeting on Wednesday at Al-Aqsa Mosque to discuss the latest developments concerning the Gate of Mercy, after members of the special unit of the Israeli occupation police stormed the prayer hall and began filming the worshippers inside it. The Israeli occupation police chief and intelligence officers took part in the raid.
Recent developments at the Gate of Mercy caused tension between Israel and Jordan. Israeli sources said the events in the Al-Aqsa Mosque could lead to a diplomatic crisis with Jordan.
