The PLO Executive Committee strongly denounces the inauguration of the settler dig site under the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in occupied East Jerusalem this Sunday. Further, we consider the participation of Jason Greenblatt and David Friedman to be criminal collusion in the commission of a war crime that must be condemned as well as universally and unequivocally confronted.

Such incendiary actions are an outright provocation and an assault on the historic status quo in the City; they are also a violation of Palestinian rights and international law. The U.S. administration has partnered with the fundamentalist settler organizations to provoke religious tensions and fan the flames of conflict. Together, they present a threat to international peace and security.

The PLO Executive Committee calls on the United Nations Security Council to assume its responsibilities under the UN Charter.

We also call on all relevant multilateral organizations, including UNESCO and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take immediate steps to protect Jerusalem and Palestinian rights. The European Union and other responsible actors must also take immediate and firm steps to confront these measures as well as ensure the protection of Jerusalem and international legality.

Finally, we reiterate our standing and repeated call on the ICC Prosecutor to launch an immediate investigation into the situation in Palestine, given the severity, pervasiveness, and systematic nature of the crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
International inaction and silence following today’s outrageous events in Jerusalem are inexcusable.