Eastern Jerusalem
Eastern JerusalemMiriam Alster/Flash 90

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet on Wednesday praised the Arab residents of Jerusalem who did not vote in Tuesday’s municipal elections.

"Our people who stand firm in occupied Jerusalem thwarted the latest plan of the occupation that was expressed through an attempt to include them in the elections," the message from the cabinet said.

Yusuf al-Mahmoud, a spokesman for the PA cabinet, said, "Our people in Jerusalem have reaffirmed the Arabness of the city and the defeat of the occupation and its collaborators in light of the capabilities of our great people.”

Mahmoud added that the Arabs in Jerusalem are "the first line of defense of the honor of the Arab and Islamic nation through their heroic steadfastness and the preservation of the city and its heritage, even under occupation."

He further noted that the boycotting of the Jerusalem elections by its Palestinian Arab residents once again shows that the Israeli assessment that the Palestinian determination could be weakened has failed.