Israeli Forces Arrest PA Jerusalem Governor, Fatah's Secretary-General in Jerusalem

RAMALLAH (Sputnik) – Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Jerusalem governor, Adnan Ghaith, and the Fatah's party Secretary-General in Jerusalem, Shadi Matour, on Monday morning, the Palestinian Prisoners and Editors’ Affairs Authority stated.

"The [Israeli] forces raided the governor’s house in Jerusalem, Adnan Ghaith, in the neighbourhood of Silwan in the eastern part of the city; arrested him and took him for investigation. They also arrested the secretary-general of the Fatah movement in Jerusalem, Shadi Matour, after storming his house in the city", the Palestinian Authority said.

This was the fourth time this year the Israeli authorities have arrested these two officials. Some of the arrests were based on charges related to the sale of land — Israeli police had previously investigated Ghaith over suspicions that he was involved in the arrest of US-Palestinian official Issam Akel, who was accused of selling an East Jerusalem building to Jewish buyers.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the repeated arrests of the governor and Fatah's secretary in the city.

Ghaith was appointed by Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas as the PA's Jerusalem governor in August 2018. Before his appointment, he served as the secretary of the Fatah movement in 2012.

The Fatah movement, formerly known as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, was founded in 1959 by Palestine's political leader, Yasser Arafat. It is now chaired by the incumbent Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel has been in conflict with the Palestinian Authority for decades. The Israeli government refuses to recognise the Palestinian Authority as an independent political and diplomatic entity on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which are partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.