BishopAccountability.org
	Senior Priest Blackmailed by Palestinian Lover Malta Independent June 16, 2010 http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=106203 A new scandal involving a senior Arab priest is rocking Israel's Christian-Arab community. The Israeli news website Ynet has learned that, according to suspicions, a senior Arab priest has been blackmailed on sexual grounds by two men. According to several sources, the cleric had an intimate relationship with a 21-year-old Palestinian from east Jerusalem when the latter was renovating his house. Palestinian sources said the young man's friend became part of the sexual relations – which were given for money – about two months ago. At a certain stage, the sources added, the priest stopped paying for the "service". Later on, the two young men approached the cleric, informed him that he had been videotaped, and demanded $100,000 for the tape. The amazed priest decided to go the police, which launched an investigation. The two men were caught in a trap set by the investigators, and the police have arrested another suspect in the affair. The religious scholar involved in the affair is in his 50s and has filled a series of roles in the Church and in its education institutions over the years. He is known for his harsh and firm speeches, as well as for his nationalistic and anti-Israel opinions, and is a well known figure in the West Bank. The same man has extensive ties with Arab elements in the Palestinian Authority, in Israel and abroad. In the past, he was even suspected of having illegal ties with foreign agents.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.