Published On 5/17/2026
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate warned, on Saturday, that the Israeli government would approve, tomorrow, Sunday, a plan to evacuate Jerusalemite citizens from their homes and shops in Jerusalem and seize it.
The governorate added – in a statement – that the danger targets the Bab al-Silsilah neighborhood adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the seizure of real estate located in the area, in implementation of a recommendation made by the so-called former Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, Meir Brosh.
Brosh, who resigned in mid-July 2025, recommended seizing Palestinian real estate without officially disclosing their number or the names of their owners, and authorizing the Jewish Quarter Development Company in Jerusalem to implement the confiscation and expropriation decision, as it is the entity entrusted with managing the so-called “Jewish Quarter” in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
The governorate considered the Israeli move “a dangerous colonial escalation targeting the heart of the Old City in occupied Jerusalem, and opening the door to a new phase of forced displacement and tightening colonial control over historical Palestinian property.”
The governorate explained that the Bab al-Silsilah neighborhood is considered one of the most important historical corridors leading to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and “its targeting carries political and religious dimensions that go beyond the real estate dimension, as it comes in the context of the occupation’s attempts to impose new Judaization facts within the Old City, and to empty the vital corridors surrounding Al-Aqsa of its original residents, which gradually turns the area into a closed colonial space that serves the incursions of the colonists and restricts the Palestinian and Islamic presence there.”
She explained that Israeli Army Radio revealed the government’s intention to approve the implementation of the “confiscation and expropriation” process of Palestinian real estate located along Bab al-Silsilah Road tomorrow, Sunday.
The governorate explained that the current Israeli decision is based on old confiscation policies dating back to 1968, when the occupation authorities seized about 116 dunums of land in the Old City under the pretext of “public benefit,” which formed the basis for the expansion of the so-called Jewish neighborhood at the expense of Palestinian neighborhoods and real estate.
She explained that the area of this neighborhood did not exceed 5 dunams before 1948, but it later expanded to reach about 133 dunams, most of which was done through confiscating private property and converting it to what is called “state property,” then allocating it to Jewish settlement associations and entities.
The governorate added that the available information indicates that the number of currently targeted properties ranges between 15 and 20 properties.
The governorate stressed that the danger of the plan is not limited to the displacement of residents and the seizure of property, but rather extends to historical Islamic landmarks and buildings dating back to the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, and constitute an integral part of the cultural identity of the city of Jerusalem.
In the targeted area, the Tashtamariyya School is located, which is one of the most important historical schools in the old city. It included multiple religious and educational facilities, including a bookstore for memorizing the Holy Qur’an for children, and a school for teaching religious sciences, in addition to the shrine of the Mamluk Prince Tashtamur Al-Ala’i and his son Ibrahim, according to the governorate.
The governorate called on the United Nations, UNESCO, and relevant international institutions to assume their legal and moral responsibilities, and to take urgent action to stop these colonial policies that target the Palestinian presence in the Old City and the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
