JAKARTA - The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's approval of a plan to confiscate Palestinian property near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem, calling the move an "ethnic cleansing."
In a statement on Sunday, the ministry condemned what it described as an Israeli scheme targeting properties in the Bab al-Silsila neighborhood adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem.
They described the move as a "dangerous colonial step" aimed at expanding settlement control around Al-Aqsa and displacing Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem, Anadolu (18/5) reported.
They warned that the targeting of Bab al-Silsila, one of the main historic routes to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, reflects Israel's systematic policy aimed at emptying the areas around Al-Aqsa of Palestinian residents and imposing a new reality on the ground.
The ministry further called on the international community, including the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to reject the action and provide protection for Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem.
Previously, the Jerusalem Provincial Government said on Sunday, the Israeli Government had approved a plan to confiscate between 15 and 20 Palestinian properties, including buildings and Islamic waqf dating back to the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman eras.
The provincial government said the plan was based on recommendations from the former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage of Israel, Meir Porush, and a government decision dating back to 1968 under the pretext of "increasing Jewish control and security."
In recent years, Israeli authorities and settlement organizations have stepped up efforts to confiscate Palestinian property in occupied East Jerusalem, particularly in the Old City and the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods.
It is known that the United Nations considers settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories to be illegal under international law and warns that it undermines the prospects for a two-state solution.
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