Two east Jerusalem residents arrested for working for PA security system

“An Israeli resident can be an official in the Palestinian Authority, such as in its Education Ministry, by he cannot work for the Palestinian security system, it is against the law."

Entrance to the Sour Baher neighborhood in east Jerusalem (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Entrance to the Sour Baher neighborhood in east Jerusalem
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Jerusalem Police arrested on Wednesday two east Jerusalem residents who were allegedly working for the Palestinian Authority security system.
The two residents of the Old City of Jerusalem and Sur Bahr were arrested in a joint operation of the Israel Police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). They were later brought for questioning at the Police Central Unit headquarters in the capital.
According to the Implementation of the Interim Agreement Law (1994) regarding Israel’s relations with the PA, it is prohibited for Israeli residents or citizens to serve in the PA’s armed forces, and the punishment for breaking this law is up to five years in prison.
A spokeswoman of the Jerusalem Police told The Jerusalem Post that the two were “operating against residents of east Jerusalem,” but could not go into details regarding their activity. However, she stressed that police found documents and evidence that tied the suspects to the their activities.
“An Israeli resident can be an official in the Palestinian Authority, such as in its Education Ministry, by he cannot work for the Palestinian security system, it is against the law,” she said.
The spokeswoman stated that due to Police and Shin Bet deterrence, it is not common for east Jerusalem residents to join the PA security forces.
“There are not many of them operating inside Israel, and once we know that such activity is going on, we are immediately acting to stop it,” she said.
The suspects' remand was extended by the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court and police said that the Jerusalem District Prosecutor is expected to file an indictment against them soon.