Israeli court orders release of Jerusalem governor

By Mohammad Abdullah

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – An Israeli court on Sunday ordered the release of Jerusalem governor Adnan Ghaith, according to Palestinian lawyers.

The lawyers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the court also ordered nine members of Palestinian group Fatah to be set free.

Israeli authorities have yet to comment on the report.

Ghait was detained on November 25 by Israeli forces for the second time in a month. His detention came shortly after Israeli authorities banned the Jerusalem governor from entering the occupied West Bank for a six-month period.

Last month, the Jerusalem governor was arrested by Israeli forces and held in prison for two days before being released.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Mideast conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

International law continues to view East Jerusalem, along with the entire West Bank, as "occupied territories" and considers all Jewish settlement construction there as illegal.