Police on Thursday detained two senior Palestinian Authority officials who were on their way to hold a press conference in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

A police spokesperson said Palestinian Construction and Housing Minister Maher Ghonaim and deputy information minister Mahmoud Khalifa were detained for attempting to hold a unauthorized press conference.

According to Ma’an News, the two were held in Jerusalem’s Russian Compound before being escorted to the Hizme crossing and back to PA-controlled territory.