Real Estate Registration: An Israeli Plan for Displacement and Strengthening Control over Jerusalem

Concerns are rising in occupied Jerusalem as the Israeli occupation continues to register and settle Palestinian properties and lands, in a move that observers consider part of a systematic plan to impose complete control over the holy city and displace its people.

The Civil Coalition for Defending Palestinian Rights in Occupied Jerusalem warned in a statement that this step would lead to the occupation’s complete control over the properties of Jerusalemites. This comes at a time when the Jerusalem Land Settlement Officer announced on August 5 his intention to begin settling and registering properties in the Beit Hanina area based on the occupation government’s decision No. 3790 of 2018, including 427 plots.

The settlement officer also requested all those who have claims (ownership) in the aforementioned basins and plots included in the decision to submit their claims to the settlement office no later than September 1, before extending it later until early November.

Commenting on this step, settlement expert Khalil Tafakji explained to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that since 2018, after the Israeli Minister of Justice at the time, Ayelet Shaked, announced her decision to begin settling and registering properties in the city of Jerusalem, the Land Registry Department began preparing for the registration process.

He added: "At the end of 2019, I started working in the various basins, while Shaked announced on March 19, 2018, a notice regarding the opening of a real estate rights settlement file (announcement of real estate rights settlement) in the city of Jerusalem."

Pointing out that "the process of settling real estate and registering lands is a step towards strengthening sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem, as the Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs announced on November 18, 2020 that the Israeli government intends to launch a process of registering lands and properties in East Jerusalem, and that only 5% of East Jerusalem lands are registered in the Land Registry."

He continued, "The occupation claims that this is illegal and that residents must pay property taxes just like West Jerusalem." He stressed at the time that launching the campaign to organize and register lands was to emphasize that East Jerusalem is part of the occupation's plan called "United Jerusalem."

Tafakji pointed out that the selection of the neighborhoods of northern and southern Jerusalem was not a coincidence, but rather based on an Israeli plan and objectives, and the existence of loopholes in those areas helps the occupation authorities to confiscate a large amount of land through the application of the Absentee Property Law or by claiming the existence of settlements in the area or the absence of any settlement during the period of Jordanian administration.

"The selected basins that were started in four groups: basins and lands in which there are claims of Jewish ownership, basins that were confiscated for the construction of settlements, some of which have been built in and some of which are under planning for construction, basins in the western part of the city, properties belonging to churches and monasteries, and natural basins," Tafakji said.

Tafakji added: “The policy of settling and registering real estate that began in 2019 was not limited to those areas, as it was announced that settlement work would begin in 2022 in several areas, including the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, Ras al-Amud, and even the lands to the right of the street leading to Ras al-Amud, the street adjacent to the Old City leading to the Umayyad palaces, and Wadi al-Hilweh in Silwan, which are endowment properties.”

He pointed out that among the areas that were announced to be included in the settlement are lands in the town of Beit Iksa to expand the "Ramot" settlement. It was also recently announced that the settlement would be carried out in three basins at the southern entrance to the town of Sur Baher, the Umm Lisson area, and the lands on which the (Neve Yaakov) settlement was built in Beit Hanina.

Tafakji believes that the policy of settling and registering real estate by the occupation authorities aims to complete control over property and displace the Palestinian people from the city of Jerusalem.