Jerusalem Police arrest, question top PA, Fatah officials
On Wednesday, the PA’s deputy governor of Jerusalem, Abdullah Siam, was summoned for interrogation by the Jerusalem Police over his activities in east Jerusalem.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPolice at a temporary "checkpoint" outside the david tower in the Old City of Jerusalem on April 15, 2020, to check if people are not disobeying the governments orders on a lockdown, in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Several Palestinian Authority and Fatah officials from east Jerusalem have been arrested or summoned for interrogation by the Israeli authorities in the past few days.The move is seen in the context of Israel’s efforts to prevent Palestinian officials from operating in east Jerusalem in violation of the 1994 Law Implementing the Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area.The law aims to “prevent [Palestinian] activity of a political or governmental nature or other similar activity within the area of the State of Israel.” According to the law, the PA and the PLO are not permitted to hold meetings or open any institution or office unless written permission for this has been given by the State of Israel.Israel says that the Palestinians have been regularly violating the law by carrying out various activities in east Jerusalem, including political and cultural gatherings and security operations, as well as funding a number of institutions in the city.On Wednesday, the PA’s deputy governor of Jerusalem, Abdullah Siam, was summoned for interrogation by the Jerusalem Police over his activities in east Jerusalem.The PA governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Ghieth, was arrested 10 days ago together with Jihad al-Faqeeh, commander of the PA General Intelligence Service in the Jerusalem area.The two are suspected of carrying out various activities in the city. Israeli authorities have also arrested Sami Abu Ghalia, deputy head of Fatah’s militant Tanzim group in the town of Eizariya, southeast of Jerusalem. Ghalia, too, is suspected of acting in violation of the law that bans PA and PLO representatives from operating in the city.Also Wednesday, three senior Fatah officials from east Jerusalem were summoned for interrogation by the Jerusalem Police on similar charges. They are: Adel Abu Zneid, deputy head of the Fatah secretary-general in Jerusalem, Amer Awad, secretary-general of Fatah in the neighborhood of Bet Hanina and Eyad Bashir, secretary-general of Fatah in the village of Jebl Mukaber.Unlike Eizariya, which is located in the West Bank, Bet Hanina and Jebl Mukaber are located within the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality.On Tuesday, the Jerusalem Police summoned for interrogation another two senior Fatah officials, Areen al-Za’aneen and Bilal Natsheh, and warned them against pursuing their activities in east Jerusalem neighborhoods. Natsheh, who heads a group called The Popular Jerusalem Conference, holds the rank of major-general in the PA.
“Israel is waging war on the Palestinians in Jerusalem,” said a senior Fatah official. “The recent arrests and summons for interrogation are part of Israel’s policy to prevent the Palestinians from carrying out any activities to serve the [Arab] residents of Jerusalem.”The official pointed out that the Israeli authorities have issued orders banning scores of PA and Fatah officials from east Jerusalem from entering the West Bank or contacting the PA and its institutions. “Despite the security measures, we will continue to provide services to our people in Jerusalem,” he said.
