xThe US State Department’s labeling of Jerusalem’s Palestinian residents as “non-Israeli citizens” is a new crime committed by the US administration against the Palestinian people, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qasem said.

In a press release, Qasem added that the “hostile” US State Department’s move is part of the “big crime of the “deal of the century”,” which serves the interests of the Israeli far-right.    

Attempts by the Israeli occupation and the Trump administration to change the identity of Jerusalem or its indigenous Palestinian residents are bound to fail, Qasem pointed out.

Despite of the joint Israeli-US aggression, Qasem continued, the Palestinian people will continue their struggle to restore their rights, above all their right to Jerusalem.