Ramallah, June 24 : A senior Palestinian official has denied the Israeli claims that the Palestinian Authority (PA) cannot control the West Bank and is on its way to collapse. Hussein Al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) executive committee, twitted on Friday that the voices from the Israeli government are "forgetting that we are a people under occupation and our people's central problem is the survival of this occupation on our land". He also urged Israel to curb the crimes and violence of armed settlers against innocent Palestinian citizens, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier this month, Head of the Israeli Shin Bet internal security agency Ronen Bar said in a meeting with US officials that the PA had lost control over large areas in the northern West Bank, which prompted the Israeli army to intensify its activities there, according to the Israel Radio. The radio also reported that Bar warned of the deterioration of the PA's situation and the loss of its ability to operate in those areas. The tension between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has been flaring since early January after the Israeli army intensified its daily raids on Palestinian towns and cities to arrest Palestinians wanted by Israel. The mounting tension has led to the loss of 24 Israeli lives in attacks by Palestinians, while about 175 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank. /IANS