Israel detains Jerusalem governor amid mass arrests

By Abdelraouf Arna'out and Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Israeli forces detained more than 40 Palestinians, including Jerusalem Governor Adnan Ghaith, in a mass arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank, according Palestinian authorities.

Ghaith was arrested in an Israeli raid on his home in Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, his spokesman Mauruf al-Rifai told Anadolu Agency.

He said Israeli forces did not provide any reason for the governor’s arrest.

“We have been unable to communicate with him,” he added.

According to the state news agency Wafa, Ghaith was detained by Israeli forces more than 17 times since he was appointed as Jerusalem governor in 2018.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces rounded up more than 40 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank, the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said.

The NGO said 26 Palestinians were detained in Hebron city, while other arrests were reported in Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jenin and Nablus.

PPS spokesperson Amani Sarahna, however, said most of the detainees were later released, without giving an exact number.

The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.

Palestinian NGOs estimate that there are around 4,650 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails, including at least 160 minors and 34 female detainees.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar