The mayor of a West Bank village was expelled from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party after pictures emerged of Israeli ultra-Orthodox settlers attending his son's wedding celebration.
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The group from Modi'in Ilit were at Thursday's celebrations for the son of Radi Nasser, mayor of Deir Qaddis, at the invitation of Palestinians who work with them at a car repair garage near the settlement.
The mayor denied any knowledge of the Israelis' participation, telling the Jerusalem Post: “When I learned about the presence of the settlers, I kicked them out, together with the (Palestinian) men who were with them.”
But pictures of the wedding appeared online showing the Jewish men dancing with other wedding guests. The images prompted condemnation on social media from Fatah activists who oppose normalization of ties with Israelis.
The Jerusalem Post quoted Fatah spokesman Osama Qawassmeh as saying that the participation of “terrorist settlers in Palestinian social events is a cowardly, condemnable, despicable and reprehensible act.”
The Palestinian Authority - of which Fatah is the largest faction - said it will launch an investigation and may take steps against those who invited the Israelis.