RAMALLAH, Saturday, January 19, 2019 (WAFA) - Minister of Local Government Hussein al-Araj officially apologized on Saturday for remarks he made against individuals leading the anti-social security law protests in the West Bank, but mainly in the Hebron area in the south of the West Bank.

He said in a letter of apology that his remarks were aimed at only one person, and not at anyone else in the governorate of Hebron.

“I Hussein al-Araj, Minister of Local Government, declare to all of our people that remarks I made were specific to a certain person and came in light of talk about the public concern and the movement against social security, and was only meant to respond to one person per se who spoke badly against and threatened the government and senior officials, and not intended to insult or refer to any individual in the Hebron Governorate,” he wrote.

“If what I said was misunderstood, I would like to apologize to every individual, family and tribe from my people. I regret that my words were distorted and exaggerated by very few people who have certain agendas and intentions to become not what I meant to say,” he concluded.

The Palestinian government decided on Saturday to form a special ministerial committee to look into Araj remarks in which he accused leaders of the anti-social security law in Hebron of living in the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, prompting Hebron area leaders to criticize Araj for his statement, which they considered an insult to all of the people of Hebron, and call for dismissing him from office.

M.K.