OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement said that Israeli authorities, with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, laying 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, represents a dangerous escalation to Judaize the city.
The Movement said the project seeks to transform the historic Palestinian airport into a settlement-linked site aimed at imposing a new reality on the ground.
In a statement issued Sunday, Hamas said Israel’s approval of plans to accelerate the construction of settlement hotels across the occupied West Bank, alongside reports revealing plans to take control of more than 140 archaeological sites in al-Khalil, forms part of an expanding settlement campaign involving the seizure of Palestinian land and heritage sites. Hamas said these actions openly defy international resolutions that consider Israeli settlements illegal under international law.
The Movement stressed that the Israeli government’s escalating settlement measures would not succeed in altering the identity of the land or separating it from its Palestinian, Arab, and Islamic heritage.
Hamas called on the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take urgent action to confront Israeli settlement plans and adopt concrete measures to protect Palestinian land and holy sites, particularly in Occupied Jerusalem.
Earlier Sunday, the Jerusalem Governorate also condemned Netanyahu’s participation in laying the foundation stone for the so-called “Heritage Center” at the historic Jerusalem International Airport site in Qalandiya, describing the move as a serious escalation of Israel’s settlement project and another attempt to impose new facts on the ground.
In a statement, the Governorate said the project violates international law and international legitimacy resolutions, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirms that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Occupied Jerusalem, have no legal validity.
The Governorate said the project goes far beyond a symbolic gesture, saying that it marks a shift from planning to implementation as part of a broader policy aimed at reshaping Jerusalem’s geographic and historical identity. According to the statement, the project seeks to appropriate one of the city’s most significant Palestinian landmarks and repurpose it to promote the Israeli historical narrative within wider annexation plans designed to consolidate Israeli control over Jerusalem.
The Governorate added that the project implements decisions adopted by the Israeli government on May 17 during what Israel marks as “Jerusalem Day.” Those decisions include converting the historic airport building into a cultural and ideological center intended to redefine the site’s historical memory according to the Israeli narrative.
According to the statement, the plan extends beyond renovating the airport building and includes new facilities highlighting what Israel describes as the “history of settlement,” while linking the site to Israeli political and military figures in an effort to replace the Palestinian and Arab historical identity associated with the airport.
The Governorate also noted that the project coincides with intensified settlement expansion north of Occupied Jerusalem, including new infrastructure projects such as a waste treatment facility on land belonging to Qalandiya and the planned Atarot settlement neighborhood, which is expected to include thousands of new settlement housing units.
It said these projects form part of a comprehensive strategy to reshape Jerusalem’s geography by strengthening territorial continuity between Israeli settlements while fragmenting Palestinian territorial continuity, particularly in the northern part of the city, effectively turning it into a buffer zone.
The Governorate said that these policies target Palestinian symbols of sovereignty, foremost among them Jerusalem International Airport, replacing them with settlement projects designed to reinforce Israeli control as part of a broader vision for what Israel refers to as “Greater Jerusalem.”
It warned that these measures are part of a political strategy intended to impose irreversible facts on the ground that would undermine prospects for a geographically contiguous Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The Governorate concluded by saying that the continuation of these policies constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and relevant United Nations resolutions. It called on the international community to act urgently to halt the measures, warning that continued international silence enables Israel to continue altering Jerusalem’s identity and imposing its sovereignty by force.
Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu laid the foundation stone for the so-called “Atarot Heritage Center” at the site of the historic Jerusalem International Airport, also known as Qalandiya Airport, north of Occupied Jerusalem.
