الأراضي المقدسة الخضراء / GHLands
The Jerusalem Governorate has condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's laying of the foundation stone for what is being called a "Heritage Center" at the site of the historic Jerusalem International Airport in the town of Qalandiya, north of occupied Jerusalem, describing the move as a new escalation in Israeli settlement policies and a violation of international law and international legitimacy resolutions.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the governorate said the project reflects Israel's shift from the planning stage to the implementation of policies aimed at creating new facts on the ground. It said the move forms part of a broader strategy to reshape Jerusalem's geographical and historical identity by taking control of one of the city's most significant Palestinian landmarks and transforming it into a facility that promotes the Israeli narrative and reinforces annexation policies.
According to the statement, the project is part of a package of decisions approved by the Israeli government on May 17 during the observance of what Israel refers to as "Jerusalem Day." These measures include expanding settlement activity across the city, including converting the former Jerusalem International Airport building into a cultural and ideological center that presents the site's history through the Israeli narrative.
The governorate said the project extends beyond repurposing the building, as it includes allocating exhibition spaces to promote what is described as the "history of settlement" and linking the site to Israeli political and military figures. It warned that these efforts are intended to erase the Palestinian and Arab historical memory associated with the airport, which it described as one of the foremost symbols of Palestinian sovereignty.
The statement added that the project coincides with a broader escalation of settlement activity north of Jerusalem, including plans to establish a waste treatment facility on land belonging to Qalandiya and continued promotion of the Atarot settlement project, which envisions the construction of thousands of settlement housing units and threatens the confiscation of vast areas of Palestinian land.
The governorate stressed that these projects form part of a comprehensive plan to reshape Jerusalem's geographic and demographic reality by strengthening territorial links between Israeli settlements while further isolating Palestinian communities, a process it said undermines the prospects for establishing an independent, territorially contiguous Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Jerusalem Governorate called on the international community to take urgent action to halt these policies, stressing that their continuation constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and United Nations resolutions. It warned that continued international silence provides Israel with the political cover to further entrench its policies and alter the identity of occupied Jerusalem.
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