قبل يوم من استقالته.. وزير إسرائيلي متطرف يوجه بنزع ملكية عقارات فلسطينية بالقدس القديمة

The residents of Jerusalem are facing a new challenge after the Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage from the ultra-Orthodox party "Agudat Israel," Meir Porush, signed a decision to confiscate properties in the "Bab al-Silsilah" neighborhood in the Old City of East Jerusalem, leading to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, just a day before his resignation from his position.

Porush directed his decision in a letter to the director of the Jewish Quarter Restoration and Development Association, Hertzl Ben Ari, titled "Confiscation of Properties on Silsilah Street," claiming that his decision, which was reviewed by Anadolu Agency, is based on the decision to occupy East Jerusalem in 1967.

The hardline minister clarified in his private letter that all properties in the Jewish Quarter have been confiscated and transferred to the management of the Jewish Quarter Rehabilitation and Development Company. According to the document, the decision was made on Wednesday, just a day before Porush's resignation, against the backdrop of a dispute between the government and the religious parties (Haredim) regarding a bill exempting religious individuals from serving in the Israeli army.

The "Agudat Israel" party announced on Tuesday its withdrawal from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, following a similar move by its partner, the "Degel Hatorah" party.

The resigning Israeli minister did not specify in the document which properties would be expropriated according to the decision, but the area is under Palestinian ownership, and the dates of the properties in that neighborhood date back to ancient and various periods.

The extremist Israeli minister claimed that the street has strategic and historical importance, requested to exercise sovereignty over it, and annex these properties, asserting the occupation's ownership of the properties and that this strengthens the presence of Jews in the heart of Jerusalem.

Porush considered the control over the properties a clear political issue and demanded to act accordingly and implement the expropriation decision on Silsilah Street, according to the expropriation map.

It is noteworthy that the "Bab al-Silsilah" neighborhood is adjacent to the Moroccan Quarter, which was turned into a Jewish quarter after the "occupation of East Jerusalem," and the properties overlook the Buraq Wall adjacent to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Old City of Jerusalem is considered one of the most targeted areas by the Judaization policies of extremist Israeli institutions and settlement associations.