Palestine warns of 'ethnic cleansing' after occupation approves confiscation of properties adjacent to Al-Aqsa

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates expressed its strong condemnation of the Israeli government's approval of a new colonial plan aimed at seizing a group of Palestinian properties in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem. The Ministry affirmed in an official statement that this decision directly targets the Bab Al-Silsila neighborhood, which is adjacent to the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, posing a serious threat to the Arab and Islamic identity of the area.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described these moves as falling within the systematic 'ethnic cleansing' policy practiced by the occupation authorities to displace Palestinian citizens from the heart of the Holy City. It indicated that the step aims to enhance full settlement control over the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and forcibly change the existing legal and historical reality in the Old City.

For its part, the Jerusalem Governorate revealed in a separate statement that the Israeli plan stipulates the confiscation of between 15 and 20 Palestinian properties, including residential buildings and ancient Islamic endowments. The Governorate clarified that these properties represent great historical value, as their construction dates back to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras, making their targeting a crime against human heritage.

According to official sources, this plan is based on previous recommendations submitted by the resigned Israeli Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage, Meir Porush, in addition to activating an old government decision dating back to 1968. The occupation justifies these confiscations by the necessities of 'strengthening Jewish control and security,' arguments aimed at justifying settlement expansion at the expense of private property.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that targeting the Bab Al-Silsila neighborhood carries extremely serious dimensions, as it is considered one of the most important historical and vital passages leading to the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It considered that emptying this neighborhood of its original inhabitants aims to isolate the blessed mosque and impose new Judaization facts that serve the settlement project in Jerusalem.

The Ministry also pointed out that reviving confiscation decisions dating back decades clearly reveals the occupation's intentions to expand the so-called 'Jewish Quarter' in the Old City. It affirmed that these Judaization projects are being carried out gradually and deliberately to complete the settlement encirclement around Islamic and Christian holy sites and ensure the demographic superiority of the settlers.

As part of diplomatic action, the State of Palestine called on the international community, the United Nations, and UNESCO to uphold their legal and moral responsibilities towards the city of Jerusalem. It called for an unequivocal rejection of all Israeli measures, stressing that the occupation has no legal sovereignty over the Holy City under international resolutions.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged all countries to intervene urgently to provide international protection for the holy sites and impose deterrent sanctions on the occupation government to stop its policies of theft and seizure. It affirmed that international silence encourages Israel to continue destroying the civilizational and cultural heritage of the Palestinian people in occupied Jerusalem.

This escalation comes at a time when East Jerusalem neighborhoods, such as Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, are witnessing a fierce campaign by settlement associations to seize citizens' homes. These associations, with the support of the Israeli judiciary, use eviction orders and old property claims as tools to carry out forced displacement operations against Palestinian families.

The Ministry concluded its statement by emphasizing the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and their adherence to their historical and legitimate rights to their land and properties despite all attempts at Judaization. It called on the Arab and Islamic nations to take immediate action to support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites in the face of these plans aimed at liquidating the Palestinian presence in the city.

This decision represents a direct assault on the civilizational and historical heritage of the Palestinian people and the Islamic world in occupied Jerusalem.