The Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, Khaled Abu Arafeh, was arrested by Israeli police on Thursday on the outskirts of the city, Hamas sources said.
Abu Arafeh was detained at a checkpoint at the entrance to al-Azaria, a suburb of east Jerusalem which is part of the occupied West Bank. His bodyguard was detained as well. They were later released.
According to AFP, the sources said Abu Arafeh, one of the 24 ministers in the Hamas-led cabinet had been travelling to al-Azaria to open new political offices.
This is the first time Israel has arrested a minister since the Hamas-led cabinet was sworn in last week.
Abu Arafa, a Jerusalem resident born in 1961, was previously a member of the Hamas militant wing, and has been arrested by Israel several times in the past.
