Jerusalem Governorate warns of Israeli plan to seize properties near Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate warned on Saturday of an Israeli plan to seize approximately 20 properties near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing it as a "new colonial escalation."

In a statement, the governorate said that "Israeli authorities are preparing to approve on Sunday a plan aimed at seizing Palestinian properties in the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, displacing residents and evicting Palestinian commercial shops to make way for settlement expansion."

"The targeted area includes between 15 and 20 Palestinian properties, including buildings and Islamic endowments dating back to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods," it added.

It explained that "the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood is one of the most important entrances leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and targeting it is part of attempts to impose a Judaizing reality within the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem and empty the area surrounding Al-Aqsa of its Palestinian residents."

The governorate viewed the act as a "dangerous colonial escalation targeting the heart of the Old City, opening the door to a new phase of forced displacement and tightening control over historic Palestinian properties."

The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City is Islam's third holiest site.

In recent years, Israel and settlement associations have intensified their seizure of Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah, and Silwan neighborhoods, through eviction orders and ownership claims.

The United Nations considers settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories "illegal and warns that they undermine the chances of a two-state solution."

Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations accuse Israeli authorities of pressuring them to restrict Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem while also expanding illegal settlements in the city.

Palestinians consider East Jerusalem the capital of their future state, while Israel insists on Jerusalem, in its entirety, as its unified capital.

*Writing by Rasa Evrensel in Istanbul