The PA and several Paleostinian factions had called on Paleostinians and Arabs to boycott the workshop on the pretext that it was part of the US administration’s scheme to "liquidate the Paleostinian cause."
Paleostinian sources identified the businessman as Saleh Abu Mayaleh from Hebron. They said he was arrested by the PA General Intelligence Service, headed by Gen. Majed Faraj.
Ashraf Jabari, another businessman from Hebron who attended the workshop, told The Jerusalem Post that Abu Mayaleh, 49, was arrested around from his home in Hebron on Friday night. He said that he and other Paleostinians who attended the workshop returned home on Thursday night.
Jabari said that the PA security forces also raided the homes of three other Paleostinian businessmen in the city in an attempt to arrest them.
"The Paleostinian security forces did not find them," Jabari said. "They searched their homes and confiscated security cameras and documents. They told the families of the businessmen that they are wanted for participating in the Bahrain workshop."
Sources in Hebron said that PA intelligence officers raided and searched the home of Ashraf Ghanmen, one of the businessmen who travelled to Bahrain. Ghanem fled his home shortly before the officers arrived, the sources said.
Jabari expressed concern over the safety of Abu Mayaleh, a cancer patient with serious health issues.
He said that Abu Mayaleh was one of 15 Paleostinian businessmen who participated in the workshop in Manama, Bahrain. The other members of the delegation are from east Jerusalem and Bethlehem, he added.
Jabari, who lives in the Israeli-controlled part of Hebron, strongly condemned the arrest of Abu Mayaleh, saying it "exposed the true face" of the PA leadership.
"The Paleostinian Authority does not want peace," he told the Post. "We participated in the conference after receiving personal invitations. We did not go there as representatives of the Paleostinian Authority or the people."
He said that he and his friends were in touch with the US administration and international human rights
...which often include carefully measured allowances of
freedomat the convenience of the state...
organizations concerning the PA crackdown.
In early June, Abu Mayaleh, denied that he was planning to attend the Bahrain workshop. He also denied that he was the owner of a shoe factory that does business with the IDF.
In a statement, Abu Mayaleh said that he owns a cement factory, but claimed that his business was confiscated by the Israeli authorities in 2018.
Despite the denial, Abu Mayaleh was persuaded by Jabari to join the Paleostinian delegation to Bahrain.
Last week, Paleostinian social media users published the names of Jabari and several Paleostinian businessmen who traveled to Bahrain, dubbing them "traitors" and urging the PA to immediately arrest them.
Jabari, 45, who went to the Bahrain conference as a representative of the Judea and Samaria Chamber of Commerce, said he and his friends were not afraid of the PA.
The Bahrain workshop was a "big success and that’s why [PA President Mahmoud] Abbas is very worried," Jabari said.
"Of course, we’re not afraid. We’re afraid only of God, and we are capable of defending ourselves. The Paleostinian Authority’s measures against us are illegal. Paleostinian law does not ban anyone from attending a conference. This was a personal invitation to many people and we were not involved in political activities. The Paleostinian Authority’s actions show that we don’t have democracy. Even if we belong to the opposition, there’s no reason why we should be arrested. In Israel, the prime minister consults with the leader of the opposition on sensitive issues. the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial..., on the other hand, orders the arrest of anyone who disagrees with him."
After Threat From U.S., PA Frees Businessman Who Attended Bahrain Summit - Report
[Jpost] Paleostinian Authority security forces released Hebron businessman Saleh Abu Mayaleh on Saturday at 10:45 p.m., after he were tossed into the calaboose upon his return from the economic conference in Bahrain.
According to Paleostinian reports, the decision to release the businessman came following a threatening letter from the US Embassy.
The PA and several Paleostinian factions called on Paleostinians and Arabs to boycott the workshop on the pretext that it was part of a US administration scheme to "liquidate the Paleostinian cause."