JERUSALEM, May 18, 2026 (WAFA) — The Governorate of Jerusalem condemned on Monday evening the Israeli occupation authorities' approval of a new package of de-Palestinization decisions and schemes during a government meeting held on the occasion of so-called "Jerusalem Day."
In a statement, the Governorate described the approval of such decisions as a dangerous escalation that reflects the acceleration of colonial policies aimed at imposing facts on the ground to alter the geographic and demographic character of the occupied city of Jerusalem in such a way that serves the Israeli colonial project and target the obliteration of the city's Arabic, Islamic, and Christian identity, all under the guise of advancing "heritage," "development," and "security" projects as tools to entrench annexation and occupation.
The Governorate emphasized that these decisions come within the context of a systematic plan aimed at tightening control over Palestinian Territory, holy sites, and historical landmarks.
It noted that they seek to entrench the occupation's narrative within Jerusalem's landscape, in flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions, which confirm that all Israeli measures in occupied Jerusalem are null and void since Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
The approved decisions included reallocating the former compound of the United Nations agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, which spans an area estimated at about 36 dunams, for the establishment of an Israeli occupation army museum, a recruitment office, and an Israeli Ministry of ‘Defence’ HQ.
The Governorate slammed this step as a dangerous escalation intended to turn a UN headquarters, which enjoys international immunities and privileges, into Israeli military and security facilities.
The decisions also included the establishment of a colonial heritage center at the site of the International Qalandiya Airport. This is part of a project led by the Israeli Ministry of Heritage to transform the site into a tourist and educational center that serves the occupation's narrative in the city. The project involves rehabilitating the airport's historic buildings, chief among them the passenger terminal built during the British Mandate period and expanded during the Jordanian era.
Additionally, it includes setting up exhibitions documenting what the occupation authorities call the "history of Israeli aviation" and the "history of colonization" in the area the occupation colonially refers to as "Atarot," built on the lands of Palestinian citizens north of Jerusalem. The project also features a special wing commemorating "Yoni Netanyahu," associated with the "Entebbe" military operation in 1976.
Furthermore, the occupation government approved a plan to establish a center for populations with special needs, as they described it, south of the Old City. The plan includes residential and service facilities, and the center is also intended to be used as an "evacuation" center during emergencies.
A.D./ K.F.
