RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- The prime minister in Ramallah said Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority was working inside occupied East Jerusalem, despite Israeli restrictions on PA activities.
The PA is continuously trying to allocate resources inside the city, which Israel occupied in 1967, Salam Fayyad said.
The Israeli government is trying to impose its policies to control Jerusalem and its institutions, which is contrary to international law and signed agreements, Fayyad said.
“This all won’t change the truth that East Jerusalem is the main part of the occupied Palestinian territories," Fayyad said in his weekly radio address, which focused on Israeli policy in the city.
"Israel must realize that there won’t be any chance of a long lasting peace without East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state," Fayyad said.
He added that the Palestinian people are "armed" with hope, and will achieve their goals of liberating Jerusalem. "This land is ours, and for sure the occupation will end," and Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine.
A statement from Fayyad's cabinet, meanwhile, condemned "continued Israeli violations against our people," including an "attempted raid" on the Al-Aqsa Mosque over the weekend following calls from the governing party.
Members of the Likud called to arrive at the holy site "in order to pray there and calling for its demolition and the building of the temple on its ruins," the statement said, condemning plans to approve a museum on ruins of the site.
Israel occupied East Jerusalem along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip following a 1967 war.
Israel claims the city as its "eternal, undivided capital" but the policy has never been recognized abroad.
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