Israeli security forces on Sunday arrested a high ranking Palestinian official on suspicion of involvement in the abduction of an American citizen who aided the sale of land to Jews.
Adnan Ghaith, who acts as Jerusalem's governor for the Palestinian Authority, was arrested overnight by Border Police. He was scheduled to be arraigned on noon, Sunday.
Two senior Palestinian Authority officials were arrested in the case in October.
It is believed that last month, Ghaith contacted Issam Akel, an Arab American who holds an Israeli ID and is a legal resident of Jerusalem, after the PA began suspecting Akel had aided the sale of a house in the city to Jews, something Ramallah deems illegal.
The two then met in the presence of several Palestinian security officers and Akel was abducted shortly after the meeting.
Akel's wife said she expects 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.
Police sources said that Ghaith was questioned in the case in October on suspicion that he was present when Palestinian security officials questioned Akel.
Israeli authorities suspect that Ghaith's office pursues various activities aimed at illegally thwarting land deals with Jews, especially in east Jerusalem.
Ghaith is a former member of the Tanzim, one of the Fatah's military wings. Israeli security forces said he actively instigated violence during the 2017 crisis on the Temple Mount, sparked by Israel's placement of metal detectors near the Al-Aqsa mosque in the wake of the murder of two police officers there in a terrorist attack.
