Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli land seizure near Jerusalem

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to seize large areas of land around the village of Nabi Samuel and the town of Beit Iksa in the northwestern occupied Jerusalem, describing it as part of a broader campaign aimed at “Judaizing” the city.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned that the historic Nabi Samuel Mosque was facing “one of the most dangerous phases of Judaization” following the decision to confiscate land surrounding the village and mosque under the pretext of developing an archaeological site.

It said Israeli authorities seized 110 dunams (27 acres) of land from the Nabi Samuel village and Beit Iksa, including areas surrounding the historic mosque.

The Foreign Ministry said the move represented “an extension of a colonial war against the land, the people and the Palestinian narrative.”

It added that the decision reflected systematic policies targeting Palestinian geography and demography, and aimed at isolating occupied Jerusalem from its natural surroundings while changing its identity.

The ministry also accused Israel of using “public interest” and archaeological projects as a cover to legitimize the confiscation of Palestinian land and reshape the area in support of settlement expansion.

It urged the international community and the UN to take “practical and binding measures,” including sanctions, to halt policies of confiscation, annexation and Judaization, and to hold Israel accountable for violations.

Israel demolished most homes in the Nabi Samuel village in 1971 and displaced residents under the pretext of protecting “rare antiquities,” according to the Jerusalem Governorate. Around 300 Palestinians currently remain in the village under what it described as harsh and isolated conditions.

The governorate also said Israel declared the area surrounding Nabi Samuel a “national park” in 1995, confiscating thousands of dunams of land and turning the village into an isolated and besieged area.

*writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul