The Palestinian National Authority welcomed the European Union's enhancing efforts in supporting the Palestinians in east Jerusalem, said Ghassan al-Khatib, spokesman for the Palestinian government in the West Bank, Xinhua reported.
The EU is considering to send its officials to the occupied east Jerusalem and investigate Israel's intimidation of local residents, who could face eviction or arrest, reported the UK's Independent newspaper, which described the EU's proposal as " confidential".
"The PNA strongly welcomes such development, though we do not have official information about it," said Ghassan al-Khatib.
The Palestinians want the EU and the international community " to turn their rejection of settlement constructions in east Jerusalem to practical measures," he told Xinhua.
On the other hand, Israel rejects any EU presence when demolishing houses or evicting its Palestinian residents in east Jerusalem, the disputed territory that the Palestinians want as a future capital while Israel does not intend to dividing it between the two peoples.
Israel Radio quoted political sources as saying that Israel refutes EU plans, especially "the claim" that the Israeli settlement activities make Jerusalem sharing as a capital for two states "increasingly unlikely."
The Palestinians insisted that they cannot continue negotiations while Israel continues building settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
On Sunday, Israel demolished a symbolic East Jerusalem Shepherd hotel to make room for a new project to construct housing units for Jews, though the United States and Britain had condemned the project in its early beginnings. Israel considers the hotel was the residence of the Palestinian Mufti, as "absentee property."