Israeli forces arrest Jerusalem’s Palestinian ‘governor’

For the second time this month, Israel arrested Jerusalem’s Palestinian ‘governor’ suspected of involvement in the abduction of an Arab who facilitated the sale of land to Jews. 

By Jack Gold, World Israel News

Israeli forces on Sunday morning arrested Adnan Jit, considered by the Palestinians as the governor of Jerusalem, at his home in the city’s neighborhood of Silwan.

Jit was arrested in connection with the kidnapping of an Arab who was charged with helping to sell an Arab-owned house to Jews, a capital offense in the Palestinian Authority (PA).

This is the second time in a month’s time that Jit has been arrested by Israel forces. He was arrested on October 25 and released after a week of house arrest.

The police suspect that Jit’s office, which is funded by the PA, transfers funds to Palestinians in Jerusalem who carry out various investigative activities aimed at thwarting land deals between Palestinians and Jews.

Security sources told Israel Hayom that Jit, who was recently appointed to his position, was identified as one of the leaders of Fatah’s Tanzim military arm and is behind several incidents of violence in the capital.

In court last month, police said Jit expressed support for the PA’s prescribed death penalty for Arabs who sell lands to Jews. His lawyer claimed that he was only quoting a fatwa, an Islamic decree, on the matter.

The abducted Arab holds both Israeli and American citizenship and has been in PA custody since early last month. The PA charged him for his role in facilitating the sale of an Arab home to Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. He is said to have received a $25,000 commission.

The PA’s actions are in breach of the Oslo Accords, which state that the PA is forbidden to arrest an Israeli citizen or resident and that if they do so, they must release him back to Israel within 24 hours.

Palestinian government spokesman Yousef al-Mahmoud on Sunday condemned Jit’s arrest, claiming, “Israel wants to show off that only it, and not the Palestinians, has the final say on all matters” relating to Jerusalem, the Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported.