JERUSALEM, December 5, 2011 (WAFA) - Ahmed Qurei, head of the Jerusalem affairs department in the PLO, Monday warned of what he described as Israel’s quiet ethnic cleansing and displacement policy against Palestinians in Jerusalem, according to a press release issued by his office.

Qurei, who formerly served as president of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a former prime minister, warned that Israel was implementing this policy through demolition of Palestinian homes in the Old City, as well as in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan and other Jerusalem area neighborhoods.

He also warned against Israel’s seizure of land in East Jerusalem and its violation of the sanctity of holy sites, including Islamic and Christian cemeteries. He said Israel was proceeding with efforts to turn Jerusalem into a Jewish city, adding that the checkpoints its erects around it turn its neighborhoods into cantons and isolated areas.

T.R./M.S.