Israeli police arrest Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs

Israeli police arrested Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ashraf al-Awar at his home in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to an official from his office.

The official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli police detained al-Awar without providing a reason.

Israeli police did not immediately comment on the reason for the arrest.

Last year, Israeli authorities issued an order barring al-Awar from entering the occupied West Bank for six months, which was later extended.

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The Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs is based in the town of Al-Ram in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinian government meetings are held in Ramallah.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have intensified restrictions on Palestinian sporting, social, political, and economic activities in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli authorities have also stepped up settlement activity and demolitions of Palestinian homes, while facilitating settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barring worshippers and preachers from the site.

Palestinians insist that occupied East Jerusalem is the capital of their future state, while Israel claims the entire city as its capital, a claim widely rejected by the international community.

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