Life or Death Issue

(Fox News) - An American Christian of Arab descent who has been doing humanitarian work in the Palestinian city of Ramallah says his life was threatened by a low-level Palestinian Authority official and after reporting it to authorities was told to pay $30,000 in protection money to ensure his safety.

Cybercast News says Pastor Isa Bajalia is legally blind, yet he was also told by the official he would be crippled for life. The trouble started after church members held a prayer session for several Palestinians. Bajalia says he has been under surveillance and receiving threats ever since.

Bajalia says the man who threatened him said he would end up like a Palestinian Bible Society worker who was stabbed and shot to death in Gaza last month.