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Palestinian-American Sentenced to Life in Prison by PA for Selling Property to Jews
(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - A Palestinian court in Ramallah sentenced a Palestinian-American to life in prison with hard labor on Monday, after finding him guilty of selling a house in the Old City of Jerusalem to a Jewish Israeli organization. Issam Akel, 53, was arrested by Palestinian Authority security forces in October. As a resident of east Jerusalem, he holds an Israeli ID card that gives him immunity against being arrested or prosecuted in a PA court. In November, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote on Twitter that Akel's incarceration was "antithetical to the values of the U.S. and all those who advocate the cause of peaceful coexistence." He called on the PA to immediately release Akel.