Former minister of Jerusalem Affairs Hatem Abdulqader on Tuesday condemned the new settlement plan to be implemented in the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and Israel’s ongoing attempts to geographically link settlements in the vicinity of Jerusalem together.
In an interview with the PIC Abdulqader pointed to another settlement project in the holy city called E1 and aimed at annexing Ma’ale Adumim settlement to Jerusalem through the displacement of Bedouin communities southeast of the city.
Abdulqader explained that the Israeli plan to link settlements together entails the isolation of some Arab neighborhoods such as Shu’fat Ras Khamis Ras Shehadeh Samiramis and Kafr Aqab from Jerusalem. Nearly one-third of Jerusalem’s residents live in these neighborhoods and they have blue (Israeli) IDs.
The Palestinian official affirmed that this project is aimed at altering the status quo in Jerusalem with the number of Palestinians in the city not exceeding 20% of the total population.
He held the US administration who has recently recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel responsible for the escalated settlement activity in the city.
Abdulqader called on the Palestinian Authority to make all necessary measures to confront this Israeli scheme which not only isolates Jerusalem from Palestinian cities but also separates the West Bank’s northern part from its southern one.
