A large police force and intelligence officers invaded, on Monday evening, a hall at the Ambassador Hotel in occupied East Jerusalem, attacked a celebration held by the Palestinian Russian Friendship Society, and detained several Palestinians.
The participants were celebrating the Russian National Day, before the officers stormed the hotel and attacked the celebration which was attended by many Palestinian officials and intellectuals, including the deputy governor of East Jerusalem Abdullah Siyam, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop Atallah Hanna, the head of the Joint Arab List Ayman Odah, and various other figures and leaders, including Palestinian author, journalist and intellectual Rassem Obeidat.
In a Facebook post, Rassem said the soldiers detained him along with several other figures, and later released him, in addition to Hani al-Isawi.
He added that they were all taken to the al-Maskobiyya interrogation facility, and that the police will likely release Abeer Abu Khdeir, Ahmad Safadi and Adnan Barakat, while the persons who run the hotel were summoned for interrogation.
Palestinian Authority official Nabil Shaath, said that he also participated in the event, representing President Mahmoud Abbas, along with the Russian Ambassador to Palestine Dr. Haider Aghanin.
It is worth mentioning that Aghanin delivered a speech affirming the Russian stance that recognizes East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, while the Israeli police tried to stop his speech by cutting the electricity in the celebration hall, but he continued anyway.
Shortly after he finished his speech, the police attack the hall, and detained the above mentioned participants.
