Warnings of an Israeli plan to seize historical properties in Bab al-Silsila in Jerusalem

The Jerusalem Governorate issued an urgent warning regarding the Israeli government's intention to approve, tomorrow, Sunday, a new settlement plan aimed at displacing Jerusalemite citizens from their homes and shops in the heart of the Old City. The Governorate clarified that this move directly targets the historic Bab al-Silsila neighborhood adjacent to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, in a step aimed at the complete seizure of properties located in that sensitive area.

This decision comes in implementation of previous recommendations submitted by the former Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, Meir Porush, before his resignation in mid-2025, where he called for seizing Palestinian properties without disclosing the identities of their owners. Under the plan, the so-called 'Jewish Quarter Development Company' will be authorized to carry out confiscation and expropriation operations, as it is the executive arm for managing settlements within the walls of the occupied city.

Official bodies in Jerusalem considered this step an unprecedented colonial escalation aimed at changing the demographic and geographic character of the Old City. They affirmed that the goal is to impose new Judaization facts in the passages leading to Al-Aqsa, gradually transforming the area into a closed space that serves settler incursions and tightens the noose on the Palestinian presence.

Media sources indicated that Israeli Army Radio confirmed the government's intention to approve these confiscations in its upcoming session, to include a series of properties extending along the Bab al-Silsila road. The occupation authorities base their current actions on old confiscation laws and decrees dating back to 1968, which were then used to seize vast areas of Jerusalemites' lands under the pretext of 'public benefit'.

Historical data indicate that the so-called 'Jewish Quarter' has witnessed a massive expansion since the occupation of the city, as its area jumped from only 5 dunams before 1948 to about 133 dunams at present. This expansion occurred through the conversion of private properties into 'state properties' and then granting them to extremist settlement associations that work to empty the city of its indigenous inhabitants.

Information available to the Jerusalem Governorate indicates that the current wave of confiscations targets between 15 and 20 Palestinian properties in the Bab al-Silsila area. The danger of this measure lies in the fact that it is not limited to the residential aspect only, but extends to threaten the architectural and cultural identity of the area, which includes archaeological buildings dating back to various Islamic eras.

Among the most prominent landmarks threatened with loss is 'Al-Tashtamariya School', which is considered one of the most important historical schools in occupied Jerusalem, dating back to the Mamluk era and including ancient educational and religious facilities. The school contains the tomb of the Mamluk Prince Tashtamar al-Ala'i and his son, in addition to a kuttab (traditional elementary school) that was dedicated to memorizing the Holy Quran, making its targeting an assault on human and Islamic heritage.

The Governorate stressed that the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood represents a vital artery for worshipers coming to Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that controlling it means complete control over entry and exit from the west. It warned that this policy falls within a larger plan to empty the immediate vicinity of Islamic holy sites of Arab presence, and transform it into barracks and settlement centers isolated from its Palestinian surroundings.

In conclusion of its statement, the Jerusalem Governorate called on the international community and UNESCO to intervene immediately to stop these violations that contravene international laws and United Nations resolutions regarding Jerusalem. It called on human rights organizations to document these crimes and take urgent action to protect historical properties from the risk of demolition or Judaization that threatens the Palestinian national memory.

This plan represents 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 historical properties.