PA security arrests preacher two weeks after release from Israel

[ 24/10/2010 - 09:58 AM ]

RAMALLAH, (PIC)-- PA intelligence arrested Islamic preacher Majid Hassan “Abu Obeida” after interviewing him for the third time since his release two weeks back after serving three years in administrative detention in Israeli prisons.

Abu Obeida was reportedly arrested by Israeli forces from his home in Ain Misbah on Nov. 12, 2007 at the same time that his wife Nada Al Jayyousi was being held in the Israeli Talmond prison for women in wait for a verdict from the military court.

He was released on Thursday Oct. 7, 2010 and less than four days later summoned to the general intelligence headquarters in Ramallah and questioned for hours about the role and activity of Al Wahdawi in the Israeli Negev prison. His ID card was confiscated to guarantee his return on Saturday Oct. 16, when he was quizzed again for another six hours before intelligence asked him to return on Oct. 23, when he was arrested.

Majid Hassan is a prestigious religious figure in Ramallah noted for his high patriotism and interest in national unity. He played a key role in bridging the gap between Palestinian factions in 2004-2005.

Born in Deir Sudan, 20 km northwest of Ramallah, on July 20, 1963, Hassan graduated from the Bir Zait University majoring in accounting. His wife Nada Al Jayyousi, also a known preacher, has been summoned and harassed by PA security forces in Ramallah on several occasions.

Abu Obeida was detained five times in Israeli jails, the first time on 1991, and has spent a total of eight years in Israel detention centers.

Hassan was also previously arrested by PA security forces for the first time in 1998 and a second time in 2001.

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