Israeli police detain Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs

Israeli police forces detained Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ashraf al-Awar during a raid on his residence in the Silwan district of occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, according to an official from his office. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that al-Awar was taken into custody without any stated justification. Israeli authorities have yet to issue an official comment regarding the grounds for the arrest, which marks the latest in a series of measures targeting Palestinian officials in the city.

Restrictions on Palestinian political activity

The detention comes amid heightened Israeli enforcement actions in occupied East Jerusalem, where authorities have significantly curtailed Palestinian sporting, social, political, and economic activities since October 7, 2023. Last year, Israeli officials issued a six-month order barring al-Awar from entering the occupied West Bank—a prohibition that was subsequently extended. The Palestinian Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs, which al-Awar heads, is based in the town of Al-Ram in the occupied West Bank, while Palestinian government meetings are conventionally held in Ramallah.

Settlement expansion and tensions over holy sites

Israeli authorities have simultaneously accelerated settlement construction and home demolitions in East Jerusalem, while facilitating increased incursions by settlers into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound—a site sacred to both Muslims and Jews. Restrictions on worshippers and preachers at the compound have also intensified, further inflaming tensions. Palestinians maintain that occupied East Jerusalem must serve as the capital of their future state, a position widely supported by the international community, while Israel claims the entire city as its undivided capital—a claim that remains largely unrecognized globally.