AL-KHALIL (Palestine Foundation Information Center) Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed the doors of the old building of al-Khalil Municipality in the West Bank, in the Ain Askar area in the city center, on Wednesday in preparation for seizing it.
The official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, reported that the IOF closed the doors of the historical building using oxygen welding.
The IOF had notified al-Khalil Municipality about a year ago to evacuate the building in preparation for seizing it and handing it over to Jewish settlers.
The mayor of al-Khalil, Taysir Abu Sneineh, considered this action a blatant assault on the municipality’s properties and facilities that it owned for long periods before the occupation, and placing obstacles to its use by the municipality.
He emphasized that this building is a pure Palestinian heritage and that the issue of the building is still pending before the judiciary, as the municipality possesses all the legal and official documents proving its ownership of the building.
He stressed that the municipality will continue to pursue the case at all legal levels and through the international community and its institutions to invalidate this violation that affects every Palestinian citizen in the city.
The Israeli occupation authorities notified, on May 4, 2023, through a notice attached to the door of al-Khalil’s historical municipality building, the evacuation of the two-story building with an area of 205 square meters, and gave those in charge a period of 45 days to object.
