News

Israel moves to steal Palestinian land surrounding Al-Aqsa Mosque in bid to ‘Judaize Jerusalem’

May 19, 2026

Israel is moving forward with plans to steal Palestinian-owned property near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem – a move described as an escalation of Israeli attempts to “Judaize” the city.

The government announced on 18 May that it would set up an inter-ministerial team to assess the possibility of confiscating parts of the occupied city.

According to Israeli reports, the team will decide how to expropriate dozens of properties along the perimeter of the city’s Jewish quarters leading into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is already being subjected to continuous settler attacks, land grabs, and demolitions.

The team will be headed by the director general of the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry and will be given a year to submit a feasible initiative to the government, according to Channel 12.

Justice Minister and Likud MK Yariv Levin, who also heads the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry, said the plan aims to reinforce the “development and strengthening of the Israeli capital” and “exercise control over the [Jewish] Quarter in its entirety.”

The move could result in the seizure of 50 buildings and the forced displacement of all the Palestinian families who live there.

“Wherever the government wants, it can take and expropriate Palestinian property,” said Aviv Tatarsky, Israeli researcher for NGO Ir Amim.

The Jerusalem Governorate condemned Israel’s action, describing it as “a dangerous escalation of colonialism aimed at displacing Jerusalemite residents and consolidating Israeli control over the area surrounding Al-Aqsa.”

“The plan targets between 15 and 20 historic Palestinian properties along the Bab al-Silsila road, owned by Jerusalemite families, and including buildings and Islamic endowments dating back to the Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods,” the statement adds, highlighting that Tel Aviv seeks to “impose new realities of Judaization” on the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Governorate called for urgent international intervention after Israeli authorities approved a plan to seize Palestinian properties in the Bab al-Silsila area near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the governorate described the move as a… pic.twitter.com/3ar5Xr66jJ

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) May 18, 2026

Middle East Eye (MEE) released an investigation last week detailing the recent escalation of Israel’s ethnic cleansing policy against Jerusalem, a situation described as a “New Nakba.”

Currently, over 20,000 Palestinian-owned homes in East Jerusalem face demolition orders. The hardest-hit neighborhoods include Silwan, Sheikh Jarrah, Al-Bustan, and Ras al-Amoud.

Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most recent government took office in late 2022, authorities have accelerated plans for the de facto annexation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

In February, the Israeli government approved a land registration process allowing Israel to claim territory in the occupied West Bank as “state property” if Palestinians cannot prove ownership.

A few weeks later, dozens of new illegal settlements were approved.