JERUSALEM, May 17, 2026 (WAFA) – Israeli occupation authorities approved on Sunday a plan to seize Palestinian properties in the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood, adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Governorate described the move as a dangerous escalation of colonialism aimed at displacing Jerusalemite residents and consolidating Israeli control over the area surrounding Al-Aqsa.
According to the decision, the Jewish Quarter Development Company in Jerusalem will be authorized to carry out the seizure and expropriation operations, as it is the entity responsible for managing the so-called "Jewish Quarter" within the Old City.
In a press statement, the Jerusalem Governorate said that the decision comes in implementation of a previous recommendation approved by the former Israeli Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, to activate a confiscation order dating back to 1968, under the pretext of "strengthening Jewish control and security" in the area.
She added that the plan targets between 15 and 20 historic Palestinian properties along the Bab al-Silsila road, owned by Jerusalemite families, and including buildings and Islamic endowments dating back to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods.
The governorate emphasized that the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood is one of the most important historical passageways leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and that targeting it is part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at emptying the area surrounding Al-Aqsa of its Palestinian residents and imposing new Judaizing realities within the Old City.
It explained that the targeted area contains prominent historical and Islamic landmarks, including the Tashtamariyya School, and indicated that in 1968, the occupation authorities seized approximately 116 dunams of land in the Old City under the pretext of "public benefit." This formed the basis for expanding the so-called "Jewish Quarter" from five dunams before 1948 to approximately 133 dunams afterward, mostly through the confiscation of private Palestinian property.
The Jerusalem Governorate affirmed that the decision constitutes a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions concerning occupied Jerusalem, calling on the United Nations, UNESCO, and international institutions to intervene urgently to halt the Judaization policies and the confiscation of Palestinian properties in the Old City and the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
K.T
