East Jerusalem eternal capital of Palestine: Abbas’ spokesman

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday said that East Jerusalem will remain the eternal capital of the state of Palestine.

Tension has been running high across the occupied Palestinian territories over a planned flag march by Israeli settlers to mark what they call the day of unifying Jerusalem, in reference to Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.

“East Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites will remain the eternal capital of Palestine,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement cited by the state news agency Wafa.

His statement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that "Jerusalem will remain a united city that will never be divided again."

Abu Rudeineh warned that there will be no stability or lasting peace in the region "as long as Israel continues its war on our people."

The spokesman stressed that the Israeli statements "will not give legitimacy to the occupation of Jerusalem, and the occupation will end."

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara