Palestinian factions in the besieged Gaza Strip have stressed that Israel will pay a price for its crimes and ongoing attacks against Palestinians in al-Quds and the occupied West Bank.
They made the remarks during a protest held in Gaza City on Wednesday to express solidarity with residents of the occupied East al-Quds neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
Tensions heightened across the Palestinian territories on Sunday, when Israeli forces and illegal settlers renewed their attacks against Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah.
Sheikh Jarrah has been the scene of frequent crackdowns by Israeli regime forces on the Palestinians protesting against the threatened expulsion of dozens of families from their homes in favor of Israeli settler groups.
Speaking on behalf of the factions, Amer al-Ja’ab, a senior leader of the Palestinian Democratic Union (aka FIDA political party), said, “The dignity of our people is associated with their adherence to … their land and sanctuaries, and we will not leave the people of al-Quds alone.”
He added that the Palestinian people would not allow Israel to continue with its policy of Judaizing al-Quds, despite the rise of settler terrorism.
Al-Ja’ab emphasized that unity among Palestinians would thwart all Israeli schemes.
Israel occupied East al-Quds, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip — territories the Palestinians want for a future state — during the six-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967. It later had to withdraw from Gaza.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds. All the settlements are illegal under international law. The United Nations Security Council has condemned the settlement activities in several resolutions.