The Israeli plans to approve illegal settlement construction across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, the latest of which was the approval of a new settler-colonial project in the illegal settlement of "Pisgat Ze'ev" north of occupied Jerusalem, are a serious development and a new crime that reflects war against the Palestinian presence in the holy city. 

Such desperate attempts will not succeed in wiping out Jerusalem's Islamic features and isolating the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

In light of the ongoing Israeli settler-colonial infringement upon the Palestinian lands and holy sites and its war against the Al-Aqsa Mosque amid international silence and inaction, we emphasise that the Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem and the West Bank will continue to resist the Israeli occupation with all means possible until liberation and return. 

Haroun Nasreddin 
Head of Hamas' Jerusalem Affairs Office
Saturday, 17 September 2022