PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat said in a statement that the tour of the Old City by John Bolton, the US National Security Advisor, and US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, in the company of Israeli officials is a violation of international law and resolutions.
International law considers the Old City as occupied territory. The US recognized in December 2017 Jerusalem as Israel`s capital, breaking away from all international norms on this issue.
Erekat said such practices by the United States lead to chaos, violence and absence of law and they do not change the past, present and future facts that Jerusalem, with its Old City, will always be the eternal capital of the State of Palestine.
Israeli occupation forces at Sunday night sealed off the entrances to the village of Beit Fajjar, to the south of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, banning entry and exit of Palestinians into and out of the village, according to witnesses.
In the meantime, the forces locked down with a metal gate a regional road near the town of Sa`ir, to the north of Hebron in southern West Bank, denying access of Palestinian traffic.
The lockdown of the road forced local Palestinians to use alternative, longer roads in order to reach their homes in several villages and towns of the area, Palestinian security sources said.
According to human rights groups, restricting of movement has been one of the main tools that Israel employs to enforce its regime of occupation over the Palestinian population in the Occupied Territories.
"Palestinians` freedom of movement in the Occupied Territories lies completely at the mercy of the state?s whims, the instructions given to soldiers at the local District Coordination Office, and the way in which they implement them," B`Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, has said in a report.
"This state of affairs forces Palestinians to live in constant uncertainty, making it difficult to perform simple tasks and make plans."
(U.C003)
(T.C003/C/C003/F001) 07-01-2019 12:44:10
Reporter: Antara/WAFA-OANA
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
