|
Palestinian Authority Sentences U.S. Citizen to Life in Prison for Selling Jerusalem Apartment to Jews
[PJ] A Palestinian Authority (PA) court in Ramallah has sentenced a U.S. citizen to life in prison with hard labor today for the crime of selling property to Jews, a capital offense in the PA.Issam Akel, 53, a U.S. citizen and a holder of an Israeli national identity card, was abducted by PA intelligence on October 11 in Ramallah. According to Reuters, the PA court's media office said Akel was convicted of "attempting to sever parts of Palestinian land and annex it to a foreign state," namely Israel. "In light of the conviction, the court handed down a life sentence with hard labor," the court ruled. The Jerusalem Post reported that Akel is accused of receiving a $25,000 commission for the sale of a Palestinian widow's home to Ateret Cohanim, an Israeli group that has been purchasing properties in East Jerusalem and the Old City. Akel, who lives in Jerusalem, had previously worked for the PA. U.S Ambassador David M. Friedman called for Akel's release last month: Posted by: Besoeker 2019-01-01 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=530950 |