JERUSALEM 30 Jun (ANA)-Israel has detained and questioned the Palestinian minister for Jerusalem affairs, Israeli police have said.

Palestine's Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Fadi al-Hadami was detained for "activities in Jerusalem", Israeli police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld told AFP on Sunday.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli police had arrested al-Hadami from his home in Jerusalem in the early hours of Sunday morning, after searching the premises.

The sources said five other Palestinian men were also arrested on Sunday, from areas across Jerusalem, Bethlehem and south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.

The detainees identified by Palestinian media included Haydar and Alaa Dirbas who were arrested at the Maqasid Hospital in Occupied East Jerusalem, and Ihab Saeed who was arrested from his village near Jerusalem. 

The Israeli authorities did not comment on why the men were arrested.

Hadami meets Chile's president 

A source close to the minister told AFP that al-Hadami's arrest is likely linked to his accompanying of Chile's president during a visit to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound a few days ago.

On Tuesday, al-Hadami was seen alongside Chilean President Sebastian Pinera on a tour of the flashpoint holy site, enraging Israel, which said it constituted a violation of regulations and a breach of understandings reached with Santiago for the head of state's visit.(ANA)

FA/ANA/30 June 2019 ----