A minister in the new Hamas-led Palestinian government has left prison after being briefly detained by Israeli security forces.

Khaled Abu Arafa was held for five hours after being stopped at a roadblock on the outskirts of Jerusalem. He said Israel and other countries are demanding that the Palestinian Authority recognise Israel, while the Jewish state continues to use what he calls “the collective punishment policy of violence and pressure against Palestinians to jeopardise their daily life.” Israeli officials say the minister, who is a resident of Arab East Jerusalem and holder of an Israeli ID card, is banned from entering areas in the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority.

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