The Palestinian Jerusalem governorate has warned 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 on Saturday that "Israeli authorities are preparing to approve on Sunday a plan aimed at seizing Palestinian properties in the Bab al-Silsila neighbourhood 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 neighbourhood is one of the most important entrances leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and targeting it is part of attempts to impose a Judaising 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 occupied East Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City, Sheikh Jarrah, and Silwan neighbourhoods, 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 organisations accuse Israeli authorities of pressuring them to restrict Palestinian construction in occupied Jerusalem while also expanding illegal settlements in the city.
