Mayor of Preston friendship city of Hebron 'arrested over terror claims'

Tayseer Abu Sneineh, the Palestinian mayor of the West Bank city of Hebron, was said to have been detained following a raid on his home by Israeli forces on Tuesday.

It emerged last month that he had been invited to take part in an online meeting with Preston representatives as part of work to formalise the friendship deal - in spite of the fact he had been convicted of terrorism offences in Hebron back in 1980.

Abu Sneineh was jailed that year for his part in an attack in the Palestinian-majority city which saw six Israeli settlers killed on their way home from Sabbath prayers.

Preston City Council previously said its friendship plan - approved by a majority of councillors in June as “a symbol of…support” for the people of Palestine and “the wider Middle East” - did not equate to the endorsement of any individual politician in Hebron.

In a statement responding to news of Abu Sneineh’s arrest, Preston’s Labour leader, Matthew Brown, said the virtual meeting with representatives of Hebron had not yet taken place, adding that “details of attendees [have] not been finalised”.

“We will continue to review and finalise plans as further information is made available,” Cllr Brown said.

He told a meeting of the full council last month that the friendship arrangement was being pursued “in the spirit of peace and community” and that there was “no intelligence to suggest that there is a direct threat posed by any party” involved in it.

Abu Sneineh himself was reported in 2017, when he became mayor. to be committed to securing peace with Israel.

However, the friendship plan attracted criticism from the Jewish community in Preston and the wider North West - as well as from the then leader of the Conservative group on the city council, Stephen Thompson, who quit the Tories earlier this week to join Reform UK.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that whether the fresh allegations being made against Abu Sneineh were “true or not”, they supported his stance that the friendship agreement between Preston and Hebron was “divisive at best and certainly premature”.

“I hope the Labour administration in Preston will reconsider their decision to go ahead [with it],” Cllr Thompson added.

The Medialine website reported Israeli authorities as saying Abu Sneineh’s arrest was “linked to his ongoing involvement in terror activity, including incitement and support for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad”.

However, a statement from the Hebron Municipal Council, reported by Middle East Eye, claimed Israeli troops vandalised the mayor’s property, causing extensive damage.

"This brutal attack not only targets the mayor himself, but also the will of the people of Hebron and its elected institutions,” the council said.

“It constitutes a blatant assault on the democratic process and on our people's right to manage their affairs and serve their city with freedom and dignity.”

Located 19 miles south of Jerusalem, Hebron was occupied by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967. However, following an agreement reached 30 years later, it has since been split between the control of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But the majority Palestinian population has to negotiate military checkpoints set up by Israel in order to navigate parts of the territory.

Preston City Council says it understands 40 places around the world have a formal relationship with Hebron, like the friendship deal it intends to sign.