Israel: Defying Ban, Palestinians Renovate East Jerusalem Schools

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority said Tuesday that the authority had helped renovate 14 schools in East Jerusalem, in defiance of Israeli claims of sovereignty over the area and its ban on Palestinian political activity there. He went to a school in Dahyiat al Barid, on Jerusalem’s outskirts, to dedicate a section the authority had helped renovate, but Israel barred him from entering a refugee camp within the municipal boundaries for another ceremony. He said at the dedication that it did not matter if he was stopped. “We are translating steadfastness into facts on the ground,” he said. The Palestinians hope to make East Jerusalem the capital of their future state.