Governor of Jerusalem Adnan Husseini: “While gangs of settlers terrorize Palestinian families all over the city, Occupation forces arrest Mufti of Jerusalem”

Referring to Israel’s arrest of the highest Muslim religious authority in Palestine this morning, Jerusalem’s Governor Adnan-Ghaleb Husseini stated: “The Palestinian leadership denounces Israel’s illegal detention of the Mufti of Jerusalem and PalestineMohammad Hussein, and calls for his immediate release.”

“We hold Israel fully accountable for this new act of aggression. This provocative arrest takes place at a time when Israeli occupation forces are protecting gangs of extremist settlers, who are terrorizing Palestinian families all over Occupied East Jerusalem while celebrating their illegal occupation.” Today, Israeli settlers, backed by the government, celebrate their so-called “Jerusalem Day,” marking Israel’s occupation of Palestine’s capital.

Mr. Husseini continued: “Just a few days after Israeli occupation forces repressed and physically assaulted Palestinian Christians, including priests, preventing them from celebrating the important occasion of Holy Fire Saturday, Israeli occupation forces arrest the highest Muslim authority in the city. These actions form part of a wider plan to turn our occupied capital into an exclusively Jewish city.”

The Governor called upon the international community to “take concrete action”.  “Words are simply not enough,” he said. “The impunity granted to Israel allows it to act without consequence. The Israeli government’s belligerent actions are fueling extremism and systematically destroying the social fabric of the Palestinian people, principally in Occupied East Jerusalem.”