Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has condemned an Israeli decision to approve construction of 172 new Jewish settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem.
The decision "constitutes an escalation that will raise tensions in the region," Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency.
"Continued settlement expansion and the Judaization of Jerusalem by the Israeli government is rejected outright and violates international law," added Abu Rudeineh, asserting that Israel should be held accountable for the "grave consequences" of Jewish settlement expansion.
Earlier Wednesday, Israel's committee for building and planning approved construction of 127 new housing units in the Jewish-only Har Homa settlement, Israel's Walla news website reported.
Palestinians accuse Israel of waging an aggressive campaign to "Judaize" East Jerusalem with the aim of effacing its Arab and Islamic identity.
They insist that Israeli settlement building must stop before a comprehensive peace deal can be reached.
International law considers the West Bank and East Jerusalem occupied territories captured by Israel in 1967, deeming all Jewish settlement building on the land illegal.
Sacred to both Muslims and Jews, East Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site.
Jews, for their part, refer to the Al-Aqsa complex as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
By Anees Barghouthy
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en
