JERUSALEM
The Israeli government announced on Thursday tenders to build 75 new housing units in Adam settlement in the north of Al-Quds (occupied East Jerusalem), a move that was strongly condemned by the Palestinians.
“Israel is seeking to surround Al-Quds with settlements by confiscating more Arab lands in order to establish the so-called Greater Jerusalem,” Ahmed Qurei, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and head of its Al-Quds’ Affairs Committee, said in a press release Thursday.
“Settlement plans are part of the Israeli policy that aims to destroy any hope of a just and comprehensive peace agreement as well as the two-state solution,” he added.
Qurie also called on Arab and Islamic nations and the international community to take serious action in order to stop the Israeli violations against Al-Quds.
Adam settlement is located on Road 60 which connects the northern parts of the West Bank to the southern parts of the Palestinian territory. The Palestinian officials fear that the implementation of Israel’s new settlement projects would mean dividing the West Bank into two separate areas.
Palestinians accuse Israel of waging an aggressive campaign to "Judaize" Al-Quds with the aim of effacing its Arab and Islamic identity. They also insist that Israeli settlement building must stop before a comprehensive peace agreement can be reached.
International law considers the West Bank and Al-Quds occupied territories taken by Israel in 1967, viewing all Jewish settlement building on the land as illegal.
Sacred to both Muslims and Jews, Al-Quds is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site.
Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.
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