Palestinian militants beat and detained the Palestinian governor of the West Bank town of Jenin today, accusing him of being an Israeli collaborator. He was released after five hours, a militant leader said.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades seized Haider Irsheid and took him to a refugee camp next to the town of Jenin.
Al Aqsa's Jenin leader, Zakariye Zubeydi, demanded the Palestinian Authority put Irsheid on trial. Witnesses said Irsheid suffered bruises on his face and neck.
His abduction came as Israel and the Palestinians struggled to maintain a temporary cease-fire declared by the main militant groups and to push ahead with a US-backed peace plan leading to a Palestinian state by 2005.
Zubeydi said he released the governor because of a call from an unidentified official at Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office. Al Aqsa is loosely affiliated with Arafat's Fatah movement.
"For me, Arafat's order is not up for negotiation," Zubeydi told The Associated Press. "So I released him immediately."
The militant leader said he would leave the responsibility for judging the governor to Arafat. "I think he will take the right decision," Zubeydi said.
Zubeydi had said earlier that Palestinian security officials asked on behalf of Arafat for Irsheid's release. Instead, Zubeydi urged Arafat's Palestinian Authority to send a mediator to question the governor and listen to militants' demands. It was unclear why Zubeydi changed his mind.
Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said the kidnapping was "a regrettable situation. "It will be solved, and this type of behavior will not be allowed," he said.