OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Hamas Movement said on Monday that Israel’s move to expand the municipal boundaries of occupied Jerusalem beyond what is known as the Green Line marks a “dangerous escalation” aimed at imposing full annexation and forced sovereignty over the city.
In a statement, Hamas described the step as an unprecedented development since the 1967 war, accusing Israeli authorities of attempting to consolidate control over occupied Jerusalem through administrative and territorial measures.
The statement said the expansion coincides with demolition notices issued for 40 homes in the town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem, in addition to what it described as near-daily demolition warnings in surrounding areas.
Hamas argued that the measures form part of a systematic policy designed to displace Palestinians from the Jerusalem area and alter the city’s demographic composition under a broader settlement expansion plan led by Israel’s far-right government.
It dubbed the move as an escalation in what it called an “open war” against the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem, warning that it represents an effort to alter the city’s identity by force.
The Movement called for coordinated Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and international action commensurate with what it described as an existential threat to the city and its surroundings.
It also urged Palestinians in Jerusalem, the West Bank and within 1948 occupied Palestine to increase their presence in the holy city and deepen solidarity with its native inhabitants, and to support families facing home demolitions.
