Israel has issued an order to expropriate land in the West Bank, which is located near the place described as the grave of the biblical prophet Samuel. According to the AFP agency, the Israeli left-wing non-governmental organization Peace Now (Shalom Ahshav) stated this on Tuesday. The relevant Palestinian authorities strongly condemned this decision by Israel.
The site known as Nabi Samwíl is considered in Christianity, Judaism and Islam to be the site of a mosque owned by a Palestinian religious foundation (wakf) in addition to the tomb of the Prophet Samuel.
Scope of expropriation
“This is the first time the (Israeli) civil administration has expropriated a holy site owned by a Muslim wakf (foundation) in the occupied West Bank,” settlement watchdog Peace Now said in a statement.
Based on an Israeli order dated May 9, but made public this week, the expropriated area will include approximately 11 hectares, including access roads, agricultural land and a mosque. The document states that the decision was taken “for the purpose of developing and preserving the archaeological site of the Tomb of the Prophet Samuel.”
The reaction of the Palestinian Authority
A source at Israel’s Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories (COGAT) said, according to AFP, that the expropriation decision was taken after officials of the wakf foundation refused to cooperate in renovating the site.
In response, the Palestinian Authority said the confiscation was part of a policy aimed at completely isolating it from the Palestinian environment and turning it into a “Jewish archaeological site.”
Previous similar cases
The Peace Organization has now recalled that the Israeli authorities already took over the management of a large part of the given territory in the 1990s, when they incorporated it into a national park after the destruction of a Palestinian village there.
In 2025, Israel expropriated the courtyard of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, arguing that the order concerned an area intended for roofing work and not a religious site.
This development was perceived by the Palestinian and some Arab states as a violation of the historical status quo and the agreements on Hebron. The Israeli side and the Jewish communities called this action a necessary solution to ensure safety, modernization and barrier-free access to the holy place.
Israel has occupied the Palestinian West Bank since the Six-Day War in 1967. Three million Palestinians live there, and the Palestinian Authority is located in Ramallah. There are also approximately 500,000 Israelis living in the West Bank in Jewish settlements that are illegal under international law.
