Sa’eb Erekat, member of the PLO’s Executive Committee, told the Voice of Palestine Radio that the Israeli government “proves that it is not a peace partner, destroys the two-state option, and defies the international law and international community.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Israeli government held its weekly meeting at the Tower of David Museum, which is located near the southeastern part of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Jerusalem is “one of the foundations of Israel’s unity.” Netanyahu said that he has stressed Jerusalem’s centrality recently both in the Knesset and in the US Congress.
He added that there is an understanding in the US of the importance of Jerusalem to the Jewish people.
According to Netanyahu, “it is important that the whole world knows that the people of Israel and its friends in the world stand together in their loyalty to Jerusalem and our heritage, are determined in our positions, stand up for our security, and extend our hand for a real peace with our neighbors.”
Netanyahu spoke to the US Congress last week, where he said that Israel is willing to make painful concessions for peace, but Jerusalem will not be divided.
“Jerusalem must never again be divided,” Netanyahu said to round of applause by the congressmen. “Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.”
Erekat reiterated that “East Jerusalem is an occupied territory,” adding that the “meeting in the area is illegal according to international law.”
He added that Netanyahu’s government “has chosen the path of dictations, settlements, incursions and imposing facts on ground.”
