Israeli plan to confiscate 1235 dunums

The Israeli District Committee for Planning and Building has announced a plan that aims to confiscate 1235 dunums from the  al-Walajeh village, south of Jerusalem, through the allocation of its land as national parks. A researcher specialised in settlement affairs, Ahmed Mustafa Sub Laban, said that the scheme was part of the Emek Refaim parks plan, stating that it was “one of the biggest plans related to parks and green spaces in Jerusalem”. Laban said that an Israeli authority called the Jerusalem Development Authority, which is responsible for Emek Refaim parks, introduced a scheme to expand the plan through adding 1235 dunums south of Jerusalem. The researcher noted that “They are the same Palestinian lands that the barrier will separate from the al-Walajeh village...hundreds of trees are being uprooted to building and hundrends of agricultural dunums surrounding al-Walajeh are being ruined for the same reason." He explained that the parks were in reality being prepared as residences for settlers in south Jerusalem, while the Palestinians, who are the actual owners, will be deprived of benefiting from these lands, which are used for agriculture, by building a dividing barrier. Laban added that the announcement of allocating lands as national parks was the latest method to confiscate Palestinian lands in East Jerusalem. He said that “we should not overlook an Israeli plan that aims to construct 13,000 more units. It is called Givat Yael and is to be constructed on the lands located to the west of Gilo settlement, in the al-Walajeh village."