RAMALLAH, March 2, 2011 (WAFA) - The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Wednesday warned of the Israeli West Jerusalem municipality’s approval to build 14 settlement housing units.

In a statement, the committee said the approval is a start of building a new settlement in Ras al-Amoud neighborhood in the eastern old city in East Jerusalem, and a new step in the demographic change of Jerusalem.

The committee stressed the illegality of the West Jerusalem municipality and all settlement activities in the occupied territory, saying this activity will not affect the legitimacy of the status of the occupied Palestinian lands of 1967 as the borders of the future Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

It also pointed to Israel’s international isolation and the illegality of its settlements, which was clear in the votes of 14 countries in the UN Security Council, and to which the US veto formed a cover for Israel’s violations against Palestinian rights and lands.

It said that the continuity of Netanyahu-Liberman government in its hostile policies affirms the government’s compliance to the settlers’ policy, especially in East Jerusalem, which threatens any effort to resume the stalled peace process.

Jerusalem has been the target of increased settlement to tighten the Israeli Jewish ultra-orthodox control after controlling Jerusalem’s external borders through the settlements belt in the southern, eastern and northern parts of the city. These plans penetrate the Arab neighborhoods from inside, such as settlement expansion in Silwan adjacent to the old city wall, Um-Horon in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and in Ras al-Amoud area to connect the Old City outposts and settlements.

After the Oslo agreement, Israel conducted extensive land raids in and around Jerusalem, seizing 10 thousand donums of land for settlement and about 30 thousand donums for military purposes and nature reserves, which are also reserved for future settlements.

Y.Y./F.J.