PNA asks UNESCO to probe Israeli measures in east Jerusalem
RAMALLAH, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is to ask UNESCO to send a mission to probe the recent Israeli measures in east Jerusalem, mainly against al-Aqsa Mosque, a senior PNA official said Wednesday.
"UNESCO should intervene and investigate these measures, mainly digging tunnels under al-Aqsa Mosque," said PNA Foreign Affairs Minister Reyad al-Malki in a radio interview.
Lately, a Palestinian group called Al-Aqsa Association for Legacy and Islamic properties warned in a press statement of Israeli plans to dig tunnels under the court of al-Aqsa Mosque.
The group said the excavations aim at structuring vertical elevators, entrances and horizontal corridors under the ground that leads to the area of the Jewish Waling Wall. The statement also said that the plan would cost 10 million U.S. dollars to encourage Israeli tourism in the old city Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the PNA condemned Wednesday an official Israeli decision to build up 58 housing units in the eastern part of Jerusalem, saying such activities "are completely illegal."
The Palestinian leadership renewed its calls on the international community to intervene to halt the Israeli settlement activities on the territories that were occupied by Israel in 1967, including east Jerusalem. It said that settlement "is the major obstacle that blocks reaching a peace agreement through talks."
In late July, Israel and the Palestinians resumed their direct peace talks sponsored by the United States after it had been stalled for three years. Nine rounds of talks had been already held between the two sides without achieving any significant progress.
Adnan al-Husseini, the PNA minister for Jerusalem Affairs told Xinhua that the Israeli declaration to build 58 units in a settlement in east Jerusalem "is again showing that Israel is determined to keep settlement activities despite the Palestinian and the international calls to halt it."
"The Israel request not to link between the ongoing settlement activities and the continuation of the peace talks can never be accepted," said the PNA official.
Around half a million Israeli settlers are living in 120 Israeli settlements built up on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967, including the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Around 2.7 million Palestinians live in these territories.
The question of Jerusalem is one of the major issues that Israel and the Palestinians will negotiate in their permanent status talks. The Palestinians want the eastern part of the city to be the capital of their state, while Israel wants the whole city to be the eternal capital of the state of Israel.