Israeli court rules to free al-Quds governor, places him under house arrest

An Israeli court has ruled to conditionally release Palestinian Authority (PA) Jerusalem al-Quds Governor Adnan Ghaith, two days after he was detained on his way out of a family member’s wedding in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

Mohamed Mahmoud, a lawyer for the Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Former Detainees, said in a statement that Jerusalem al-Quds District Court accepted Ghaith’s appeal against the court’s earlier request to prolong his detention on Monday.

The court, however, placed the Palestinian Authority official under house arrest for seven days, and ordered him to pay 20,000 Israeli shekels (approximately $5,500) in fine.

Mahmoud highlighted that Jerusalem al-Quds District Court has yet to issue a final release order so as to give prosecutors a chance for an appeal to the Israeli High Court.

A large group of special Israeli forces arrested Ghaith in the Beit Hanina neighborhood of Jerusalem al-Quds on Saturday after intercepting his car.

The charges against him were not clear, but apparently had to do with his staunch opposition to the recent sale of a Palestinian-owned property in the Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds to Israeli settlers.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appointed Ghaith, a longtime activist in Fatah political party, to the role of PA Jerusalem al-Quds governor in late August.

In his role, Ghaith is responsible for overseeing the PA’s operations in the neighborhoods within its jurisdiction on the outskirts of Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israeli military forces have arrested Ghaith many times in the past several years, including on suspicion of incitement, according to his brother Hani.

Ghaith, alongside Fatah activists, has spent several hours a week at Khan al-Ahmar Bedouin village, which is slated for demolition, in the past couple of months.

Tensions continue in the occupied Palestinian territories in the wake of Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

The dramatic shift in Washington’s policy vis-à-vis Jerusalem al-Quds on December 6 last year has triggered demonstrations in the occupied Palestinian territories, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and other Muslim countries.

On December 21 last year, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israeli “capital.”

In an attempt to prevent the passing of the resolution, Trump threatened reprisals against countries that backed the measure, which had earlier faced a US veto at the UN Security Council.

PressTV-Israeli soldiers kill Palestinian in West Bank

Israeli soldiers kill a Palestinian who they say attempted to attack one of them with a knife in the occupied West Bank.

On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, sponsored by Turkey and Algeria, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution, which had been put forward on behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with eight votes against and 45 abstentions.

The resolution called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”

It also called for “immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip.”

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