Occupation authorities in Israel have issued a new official declaration classifying 370.28 donams of land in the Abu Dis and Arab al-Sawahira areas of Jerusalem as “state property.” The announcement, identified by number הכ/05/26 and dated August 27, 2026, targets specific financial plots within these Palestinian neighborhoods. Specifically, it affects financial plots 3 and 6 in Abu Dis, and financial plot 5 in Arab al-Sawahira.
This designation is executed under Military Order No. 59 of 1967 regarding state lands, which places the affected territories under the control of the Custodian of Government Property and Abandoned Property. According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority, this latest step serves as a continuation of previous measures designed to facilitate the expansion of the “Mishmar Yehuda” settlement. In December 2025, occupation forces published an announcement for a blue line team covering approximately 3,380 donams for the same project. With the addition of the newly declared area, the total land mass allocated to the settlement has risen to roughly 3,750 donams.
The declaration coincides with the preparation of the initial master plan for Mishmar Yehuda, which includes approximately 3,600 residential units. This planning aims to transform the outpost into a large urban settlement east of Jerusalem. The Israeli government initially approved the establishment of Mishmar Yehuda in February 2023, followed by an order from the Central Region Commander in February 2024 defining its jurisdictional scope.
The Resistance Authority describes this sequence as a comprehensive governmental strategy that begins with recognizing an outpost and defining its boundaries, proceeds to land aggregation and reclassification, and culminates in planning thousands of housing units connected to infrastructure. This process deepens the colonial ring east of Jerusalem and fragments Palestinian continuity between Abu Dis, Al-Walaja, and Al-Ubeidiya.
Geographically, this new declaration overlaps with a previous announcement from February 29, 2024, which designated 2,640 donams in Al-Eizariya and Abu Dis as state property. Both announcements intersect at Abu Dis’s financial plot 6 and the “Jabal al-Qutfa” site, confirming a continuous series of land declarations extending from the area between Ma’ale Adumim and Kedar settlements toward Mishmar Yehuda.
The authority highlighted the existential threat posed to the Manatar Bedouin community, comprising 112 families residing within the targeted zone. The declaration converts their homes, school, grazing lands, and transit routes into state property, potentially leading to stricter construction bans, grazing restrictions, and expanded demolition and eviction orders. This occurs against a backdrop of severe hardship for the community, including the closure of their main road and harassment of their facilities.
Legally, the authority emphasized that labeling the land as state property does not grant Israel sovereignty or alter its status as occupied Palestinian territory. International law restricts the occupying power to temporary administration of public assets, rendering such settlements illegal. Owners are advised that they have 45 days from the publication date to submit objections and should gather ownership documents immediately.
