Israel extends detention of Jerusalem lawmaker

Jerusalem – Ma’an – An Israeli court has extended the detention period of Palestinian lawmaker Mohammad Abu Teir upon the advice of its attorney general, who is considering an arrangement alternative to expulsion.

Defense attorney Fadi Qawasmi said the court's decision came after a request was presented to the Israeli interior minister to review a ruling taken last week that stripped the lawmaker of his residency rights.

"As the defense, it's our duty to examine every document, and we agreed to delay [proceedings] to give the attorney general a chance to come up with a solution for this case," Qawasmi told Ma'an. "At the same time, we won't abandon these lawmakers' rights. We are working to end this case successfully, and we are carrying out contacts in hopes of reaching an amiable solution."

In June, Israel announced it was stripping Abu Teir and three other elected Palestinian Legislative Council members of their residency rights, giving them a deadline to leave the city. The families of Abu Teir, Ahmad Atoun, Mohammad Totah, and Khaled Abu Arafeh - all Hamas-affiliated legislators - said they received calls Sunday from Israeli police demanding information on their whereabouts since morning.

On Friday, Atoun and Abu Arafeh began a sit-in at the Red Cross headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah.

Abu Teir was to return to court Sunday in West Jerusalem to appeal his deportation. His trial was delayed after the court said it did not have sufficient time to hear a defense. In Thursday's session, Abu Teir rejected an agreement to move to the West Bank. A condition of the move was that he paid the court a deposit of 1,000 shekels (approximately $260), which would be confiscated should he return to Jerusalem.

Israeli police detained Abu Teir on Thursday, saying he was illegally residing in the city following the revocation of his residency permit shortly before. The lawmaker was released from custody in late May.