The Palestinian Authority has reportedly arrested several people who have expressed support for Israel's plan to extend sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, French news agency AFP reported Monday, also saying that Ramallah officials denied making such arrests.
A Channel 13 News report by Arab affairs correspondent Zvi Yehezkeli, which aired in early June, featured several Palestinian residents of the West Bank who expressed hope of becoming Israelis if the Israeli move comes to fruition.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The Palestinian Authority is vehemently opposed to the move and has warned that pushing it through would essentially render the 1993 Oslo Accords – the basis for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process – null and void.
According to AFP, while the men featured in the report had their faces blurred and their voices were distorted voices, six of them were subsequently arrested by the PA's security services.
"I was surprised to see that even though I've blurred the faces of all the people I filmed and distorted their voices, the Authority has reached and arrested (some) of them, it's just amazing," Yehezkeli told AFP.
One Palestinian told the news agency he had been held for several weeks by Palestinian police and was due to face a court soon.
Ramallah, however, denied the accusation.
"We have not arrested anyone in connection with this case," Palestinian Interior Ministry Spokesman Ghassan Nimr told AFP, while Palestinian Police Spokesman Louay Arzeikat also denied any arrests were made.
The PA's objection to any unilateral Israeli move in the West Bank is shared by the majority of the Palestinian people, with 88% of them opposing the US peace plan, according to a poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. The survey found that 52% of the Palestinians would be willing to resume an armed struggle to prevent an Israeli sovereignty move.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
