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Palestinian official calls on Israel to respect UNESCO resolution on Jerusalem

Xinhua, October 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

A senior Palestinian official on Wednesday called on Israel to respect the resolutions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on east Jerusalem.

"We call on Israel to respect the status quo of our religious sites, including al-Aqsa Mosque Compound that continues to be threatened by the Israeli systematic incitement and provocative actions," said Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of Palestine Liberation Organization in an emailed statement.

He said that Israel's illegal attempts to change the identity of occupied East Jerusalem, including its Christian and Muslim traditions, have been ongoing since its occupation of the city in 1967.

Erekat stated that "the State of Palestine" is in full cooperation with Jordan, through diplomatic channels, and has been doing everything possible in order to preserve the status quo of the historical holy sites in the city.

The Palestinians want east Jerusalem to be the capital of their future independent state of Palestine, while Israel says united Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Israel.

"Through an orchestrated campaign, Israel has been using archeological claims and distortion of facts as a way to legitimize the annexation of occupied East Jerusalem," said Erekat.

He added that "contrary to what the Israeli government claims, the resolution that was voted by UNESCO aims at reaffirming the importance of Jerusalem for the three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam." Endit