JERUSALEM, February 17, 2017 (WAFA) – The Israeli Municipality of West Jerusalem Friday expropriated a plot of Palestinian land in al-Ein Street in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, claiming it would be used for public benefit, said a local settlement watchdog.

According to Wadi Hilweh Information Center, Israeli municipal crews raided Silwan and placed a sign with maps on the site of the plot reading in Arabic and Hebrew: “This is an order to use an empty plot of land for gardening purposes.”

The center affirmed that this plot of land belongs to the family of Ghuzlan, a branch of the al-Abbasi family, and occupied 300 square meters, pointing out that the Israeli municipality had already designated the land as a green zone where construction is prohibited.

The municipality claimed this plot of land would be temporarily used for five years in accordance with an Israeli law for the purpose of planting trees and the installation of irrigation systems and playground equipment.

Muhammad Ghuzlan, one of the owners, said that he would submit an appeal against the expropriation order as the low allows landowners to file appeals within 90 days.

“Even if the plot of land ]is expropriated[ in order to be used for the public good of residents of the area, we, the rightful owners, are the ones who would plant it and install the playground equipment and seats in it,” Ghuzlan said.

Silwan is a neighborhood of East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories that have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.

K.F.