Large tracts of Palestinian land in occupied Jerusalem are slated for confiscation by the Israeli occupation authorities in favor of colonial settlement projects, according to a Palestinian official.

Abdullah Seyam, the Palestinian Authority’s Deputy Governor of Jerusalem, told Voice of Palestine radio that the Israeli settlement projects in the occupied capital are aimed at changing the character of the city and blocking the view of the Islamic and Christian holy sites there.

Seyam also said the Israeli occupation authorities are escalating their measures against the Palestinian people of Jerusalem through taxes, demolitions and arrests to push them out of the city in order to achieve an Israeli Jewish majority.

The Palestinian official said the silence of the international community and the impunity granted to the Israeli occupation has encouraged it to continue its violations against the Palestinian people.