10/21/16: Four Palestinians who attended a Sukkot celebration alongside Israelis in the home of a West Bank mayor were arrested by Palestinian security forces.
[UPDATE 10/25/16: The Palestinians have been released]
The celebration took place without incident Wednesday at the home of Oded Revivi, mayor of the Efrat settlement. Revivi had invited several dozen Palestinians living near Efrat to join 30 Israelis in celebrating the Jewish harvest holiday.
But four of the Palestinians who attended were arrested late the next day. The reason for their arrest was not clear, but their relatives suggested it was because they were photographed with prominent Israeli army and police officers, The Washington Post reported.
One relative of the detained men accused Revivi of “tricking” the Palestinians.
“Instead of helping us, he destroyed us,” Asad Abu Hamad told The Washington Post.
Revivi denied the accusations and said he had urged for the four men to be released.
“I understand they are upset. I understand what the relatives are saying,” he said. “But was this a trap? This was no trap.”
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