Palestinian government in Gaza strongly condemned the approval of 1,100 new settlement units in the Jewish settlement of Gilo in occupied Jerusalem, a move that came days after the PLO made a request for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital at the United Nations.
A member of the planning board that approved the plan described the construction decision as the “best gift for the Jewish new year”, which falls on Wednesday, saying “we must tell the world that Jerusalem is not up for sale”.
The Palestinian government in Gaza also reiterated, in a statement that followed a weekly meeting, Israel’s abduction of Palestinian lawmaker Mohammed Attoun, calling on the Arabs and Muslims to shoulder responsibilities in preserving Jerusalem and its people.
The statement adds that the government is carefully following the political facets of the UN statehood bid, stressing the Palestinians’ right of statehood with full sovereignty and without the relinquishing of other rights, such as the refugees’ right of return and self-determination.
