‘Trump’s presidency accelerates Israel’s occupation’: Raed Salah

“The recent statements of Trump is threatening the Muslims by paving the way for the accelerating and justifying the Israel occupation,” Shakra said.Shakra’s statement came during a meeting that was held in the Turkish province of Istanbul for the 100th anniversary of the divergence of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire in 1917, which was followed by British and Israeli occupations.

“It is impossible for us to accept the realization of such a decision. The move is illegal,” said Shakra during his teleconferenced speech. Shakra is under a travel ban for 6 months following his recent release from an Israeli prison.

Our Heritage Association President Muhammed Demirci announced 2016 statistics which describe the situation of the Mascid-i Aqsa.As many as 24 Muslims were martyred by Israel and 2,029 people, including 757 children and 79 women, were arrested, according to the figures.

İn addition, 1,023 houses were demolished in order to make room for illegal Israeli settlements.

The report also stated that over 17,000 Israelis entered Al-Aqsa Mosque in 2016 and attempted to conduct religious ceremonies in the holy place for Muslims.

U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his promise to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and to formally recognize the ancient city as the capital of Israel.

Trump’s words signaled an aggressive Israel policy and his statement was followed by Israel’s approval of building permits for a 566 residence settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.

The approval of the building plan on Sunday came two days after the inauguration of Donald Trump in the United States, with an Israeli official saying the permits had been held up until the end of Barack Obama’s administration, which had been critical of Israeli settlement activity.

Palestinians are reacting harshly to Trump’s statement, saying that such a decision would mean that the U.S. would officially recognize the Israeli capital as Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv.

Occupied since 1967

Both Palestinians and Israelis have been living in Jerusalem for decades and both claim Jerusalem as their capital. Outgoing U.S. President Obama also cautioned Trump’s new team.

East Jerusalem is among those territories which were occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967.

Despite the fact that Israel has been applying a permanent settlement strategy in the occupied territory and claims that Jerusalem is the capital of the country, the United Nations does not accept Israel’s single-sided declaration of Jerusalem as capital, as well as its presence on the lands it occupied after 1967.