Israel appoints hardline settler to oversee Palestinian properties in east Jerusalem

A pro-settler activist has been appointed to oversee the Israeli finance ministry's Custodian of Absentee Property unit, which manages Palestinian land and property in occupied east Jerusalem, Haaretz reported on Sunday.

Hananel Gurfinkel had reportedly used his previous position in the Custodian General's economic unit to help expand and build new Jewish settlements in the occupied city, including building new houses in the illegal settlement of Givat Shaked.

Gurfinkel also aided Israelis with obtaining ownership of Palestinian-owned buildings in the city as well as land, according to Haaretz and a number of Israeli NGOs who work on Palestinian property rights.

Evictions of Palestinians also increased rapidly during Gurfinkel's tenure, the Jerusalem-based NGO Ir Amim said.

Gurfinkel's new role reportedly requires knowledge of the Arabic language, according to a government source cited by the Israeli newspaper, as it is expected to deal with Arabic-speaking residents of the city.

Haaretz revealed that this condition was reportedly removed during Gurfinkel's appointment.

The Israeli newspaper said human rights organisations had expressed concerns that Gurfinkel's appointment was made to advance Jewish settlements and presence in east Jerusalem amid mounting fears that Israel may annex the West Bank.

Settlements and outposts in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as violence against Palestinians, have surged over the months in parallel with Israel's deadly war in Gaza.

These are deemed illegal under international law, and a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Additionally, the International Court of Justice reaffirmed settlements' illegality in July this year, much to the ire of Israeli authorities.

East Jerusalem is also viewed by Palestinians as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

In 2017, Gurfinkel was reportedly involved in the sale of Palestinian land in Silwan to the right-wing managed construction company Ateret Cohanim. 

He was also heavily involved in the Sheikh Jarrah expulsions of 2021, coordinating with pro-settler extremist groups to encourage the forcible removal of the neighbourhood’s Palestinian residents.

Gurfinkel himself lives in the settlement of Nof Zion, located in the predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood of Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem.

He was also an electee of Habayit Hayehudi's central committee, a far-right former political party with pro-settlement and pro-outpost interests.

Gurfinkel also co-founded Boneh Yerushalayim, a pro-settler NGO which works to prevent Palestinians from constructing buildings.

Additionally, Gurfinkel has made several anti-Palestinian remarks in the past, having previously claimed that east Jerusalem was being "occupied by Arabs". He has called for Palestinian students to be kicked out from Haifa's Technion – Israel Institute of Technology university "on a missile", Haaretz said.

Israeli authorities have enacted a number of pro-settlement laws over the months. Settlers will no longer be subject to administrative detention, while Palestinians - on the other hand - are under such conditions in their thousands.

While Israeli soldiers wage a deadly war in the Gaza Strip and step up their violent raids in the West Bank, a number of outposts - which are technically illegal under Israeli law - have been erected, while settlements have been expanded.

Far-right politicians Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have also used their platforms amid the war in Gaza to call for call for the growth of illegal settlements.

Settler violence has also increased in the West Bank over the past year, with several incidents of such groups storming Palestinian villages, assaulting residents and claiming land and properties as theirs.

A video posted on Telegram showed Israeli troops from Battalion 967 performing Talmudic prayers on Sunday at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus.

The soldiers also reportedly helped settlers storm the area. One man, a chief rabbi with the Northern West Bank Settlements Council, said:  "Why are we here? Because this is ours. We are here because the people of Israel are the rightful owners, not only of this place but of all the land of Israel."