Israel detained the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem on Sunday over "illegal" activities, in at least the seventh time Adnan Ghaith has been arrested in less than 18 months.

"Adnan Ghaith was detained this morning for Palestinian activity in Jerusalem, which is illegal," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) official was arrested by Israel at least six times last year.

A video circulating on social media showed Ghaith, wearing rubber gloves and smoking a cigarette, being escorted by police out of his east Jerusalem home.

His attorney Rami Othman said Ghaith, who was taken for questioning, was apprehended primarily due to Palestinian activity related to the coronavirus outbreak.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognized by the international community.

It considers the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.