The Jerusalem Governorate announced that families from the town of Umm Tuba, located south of occupied Jerusalem, filed a petition to the occupation court today, Wednesday, to stop the settlement works carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities, after it was discovered that about 63 dunams of the town’s lands were registered in the name of the “Jewish National Fund.”

This measure threatens to evict approximately 30 Jerusalem homes, in which 139 citizens live, putting them at risk of forced displacement.

The governorate explained, based on the testimony of attorney Yazid Qawar, who represents the residents along with attorney Mohammed Dahla, that the land registration process was carried out without informing or involving the citizens. Qawar added that the occupation authorities relied on what is known as the “Israeli Land Settlement Law,” which is increasingly being used to seize the lands of Jerusalemites and hand them over to settlement entities.

The governorate indicated that one of the citizens discovered these procedures when he applied for a building permit from the occupation authorities, only to be surprised that the land he intended to build on was registered in the name of the “Jewish National Fund.” After investigation, it became clear that similar seizures had included dozens of dunams of the town’s lands.

The Jerusalem Governorate stressed that these steps represent a serious threat to the existence of Jerusalemites on their land and are part of the policy of Judaizing the city and uprooting its indigenous population. The Governorate called on human rights and international institutions to take urgent action to stop these violations that aim to change the demographic character of Jerusalem and impose new facts on the ground.