The Palestinian Authority has handed over to U.S. authorities an American-Palestinian it had sentenced to life imprisonment for violating a ban on selling land to Jewish Israelis, two senior PA officials said on Sunday.
"Issam Akel holds an American passport and he was handed over to the U.S. authorities upon their request," one senior PA security official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
A second official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Akel's release.
U.S. officials did not comment when asked about Akel's release.
Akel was convicted by a West Bank court in December of attempting to sell a property in east Jerusalem without the permission of his business partners or the Palestinian authorities.
Akel's family has denied the allegations against him.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Friedman called in November for Akel to be released, saying his suspected crime was "selling land to a Jew" and his incarceration violated American values.
The Islamist terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is a rival to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, said releasing Akel was a "grave crime."
In November, Israeli security forces arrested Adnan Ghaith, who acts as Jerusalem's governor for the Palestinian Authority, on suspicion of involvement in Akel's abduction.
Akel's wife at the time said she expected the Israeli government to use diplomatic channels to ensure her husband's release. Sources at the Prime Minister's Office said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S. Embassy in Israel were employing back channels to resolve the issue.
