Israel has issued an expropriation order for part of the Nabi Samuel religious site in the occupied West Bank, marking the first-ever expropriation of a sanctuary in the Palestinian territory, according to an Israeli anti-settlement NGO.
The site, located north of Jerusalem, is a pilgrimage destination that houses a mosque managed by the Palestinian Waqf, an Islamic foundation, as well as a synagogue, which is not affected by the order. Tradition holds the site as the burial place of the prophet Samuel.
“This is the first time the Civil Administration has expropriated a holy site under Muslim Waqf ownership in the occupied West Bank,” the organisation Peace Now said in a statement.
The expropriation order, dated 9 May but made public this week, encompasses over 10 hectares, including the mosque, agricultural land, and access roads.
Israeli authorities claim the measure is necessary for “developing and preserving the archaeological site of the tomb of the prophet Samuel.”
A source from COGAT, the Defence Ministry’s civil affairs unit in the Palestinian territories, cited “security issues within the Nabi Samuel complex” as a reason for the decision.
The source added that the Waqf had refused to cooperate with required procedures for renovating the site.
The Palestinian Ministry of Waqf and Religious Affairs condemned the move and labelled it a “confiscation,” describing it as part of a policy aimed at isolating the mosque from its surrounding Palestinian communities and forcibly converting it into a Jewish archaeological site.
Yonatan Mizrachi, a member of Peace Now, told AFP that much of the Nabi Samuel site had already been turned into a national park by Israeli authorities in the 1990s, decades after the destruction of a Palestinian village that once existed on the land.
“There was no need to expropriate the land,” Mizrachi said, echoing Peace Now’s assertion that the measure is intended to “deepen Israel’s annexation” of the Palestinian territories.
