Firebrand sheikh arrested on assault charges

Controversial Islamic leader, Sheikh Raed Salah, was arrested along with his bodyguard on Monday afternoon after he allegedly tried to assault police officers in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem.

Salah, who heads the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has already had several run-ins with the law. Police took him into custody after ordering the illegal rally being staged in Sheikh Jarrah be dispersed. The unauthorized gathering was part of a series of events marking the Arab League's declaration of Jerusalem as this year's 'capital of Arab culture.'

Islamic Movement spokesman, Zahi Nujidat slammed the arrest as "unacceptable," and accused Israel of trampling "every last value."

Nujidat said that Sheikh Salah's arrest "is another step towards the Judaization of Jerusalem. No one here broke the law, the sole intent was to establish a committee to deal with everything surrounding the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestinian culture."

Over the course of the weekend police prepared to stop all activities under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority.

A senior Jerusalem police official summarized the day's events as "a resolute failure on the part of the Palestinian Authority."

The Jerusalem Police completed its preparations for foiling the Palestinian cultural festival as early as Friday morning. Hundreds of police and Border Guard officers, commanded by Jerusalem District Commander Aharon Franco, began deploying in east Jerusalem, the Old City and nearby villages in the early morning hours.

In total, 21 activists were detained for questioning in east Jerusalem and the Old City, including senior PA official Hatem Abdel Kader