Israel approves plan to Judaize al-Quds

Israeli ministers have endorsed a plan to turn al-Quds into a national priority zone in another attempt to strengthen Tel Aviv's illegal claim to sovereignty over the holy city.

On Sunday, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved the plan, which was proposed by Israeli parliamentarian Uri Ariel, who had called it a "change in the government's approach," the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported.

The occupied city's final status is one of the thorniest issues in the stalemated talks between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Tel Aviv.

Claiming all of al-Quds as its "eternal and indivisible" capital, Israel annexed the eastern part, where a number of sites sacred to Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, are located, following the Six-Day War of 1967.

However, the annexation has never been recognized by the international community.

Due to the renewed settlement building activities, the Palestinian Authority broke off the recently resumed direct talks. The PA said Tel Aviv had to freeze the construction and expansion of Jewish settler units or the talks could not continue.

But Israel refuses to cancel its recent decision to build 238 new Jewish settler units in East al-Quds and is also forging ahead with the construction of new units in settlements in other parts of the occupied territories.

In addition, Israel regularly issues eviction orders to Palestinian residents of East al-Quds, claiming their property ownership documents are not legal. But the Palestinian residents of the city say that Israeli officials have been either withholding or refusing to issue documents for their houses.