Jerusalem Governorate: Occupation seeks to seize neighborhood land through blatant legal manipulation to impose a new colonial reality.
JERUSALEM, January 18, 2026 (WAFA) – The Israeli municipality of West Jerusalem on Sunday notified residents of Al-Bustan neighborhood in the town of Silwan of its intention to seize one dunum and 100 square meters of land in the neighborhood, under the pretext of establishing a gardening and parking project.
The head of the occupation municipality, Moshe Lion, claimed in his notification that these areas are classified as “vacant lands” under the Local Authorities Law of 1987.
The Jerusalem Governorate warned in a statement that this measure represents a blatant legal manipulation aimed clearly at preventing citizens from using their land or demanding permits, especially after a series of systematic demolitions that targeted the area recently, stressing that the occupation seeks to create a legal cover for a silent process of seizure and ethnic cleansing.
The governorate noted that this escalation follows a measure taken by occupation authorities earlier this month, when they notified the seizure of about 5.7 dunams of land in the neighborhood under the same pretext, claiming they are “vacant lands,” while in reality these areas contain the rubble of homes that were once inhabited and were forcibly demolished by the occupation, with their owners barred from rebuilding or using them, in an attempt to distort the land’s status and consolidate control.
It stressed the invalidity of the municipality’s claim that this seizure would be for “temporary use” for five years, affirming that on-the-ground realities and the prior experiences of Jerusalemites indicate the occupation’s intent to entrench a permanent colonial presence that prevents any Palestinian urban expansion, especially after the demolition of 35 structures in the neighborhood since October 7, 2023, the latest of which was the home of citizen Shafiq Ahmed Abu Shafiq at the end of last year.
It pointed out that these steps represent the most dangerous phase in targeting the Al-Bustan neighborhood, which is home to around 1,500 residents living in 120 homes, as they face an organized and multifaceted attack. The occupation classifies 80 percent of the neighborhood’s homes as structures threatened with immediate demolition under the racist “Kaminitz Law,” which is used as a tool to financially exhaust residents through the renewal of exorbitant fines despite prior payment.
The Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that the systematic daily pressure policy, including road closures, detentions, and the demolition of the sit-in protest tent, all aim to force residents into forced displacement to empty the area adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling on the international community to intervene immediately to stop this legal and humanitarian crime aimed at completing the “Judaization ring” around the Old City of Jerusalem.
T.R.
