On a quiet Friday morning, in the village of Umm Tuba on the southeastern edge of Jerusalem, 22 families – some 180 people – are facing a sudden and painful ultimatum. Israel’s Land Authority has issued formal notices demanding they vacate their homes by July 7, 2025. The reason: the land has recently been registered under the name of the Jewish National Fund (KKL), which now claims the homes were built illegally
But the residents of Umm Tuba tell a very different story
They say their homes were built legally, with full building permits granted by the Jerusalem municipality. They’ve been paying municipal taxes (arnona) for years. “This is an unjust decision,” say the families. “This land is part of Jabal Abu Ghneim. It belongs to our ancestors – and we will not abandon it
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Building Permits – and Still Evicted
Umm Tuba is located adjacent to Sur Baher and borders the neighborhood of Har Homa, which was built on land expropriated from Umm Tuba in 1991. Since being annexed to Jerusalem following the 1967 war, residents of Umm Tuba hold blue Israeli ID cards and have permanent residency status
The current dispute centers on about 20 dunams of land where 35 families live in 18 buildings. According to the residents, all construction was carried out legally, after receiving municipal permits and paying taxes to the city – which, notably, has no claim or complaint against them
The crisis began last year when one resident applied for a new permit. To his surprise, he was told the land had been registered under KKL. That discovery quickly spread through the neighborhood. In June, the Israeli Land Authority sent out eviction notices, requiring residents to leave within 30 days – a deadline now approaching rapidly
The Strange Case of Land Registration
This case reflects a deeper problem in East Jerusalem: for decades, land ownership in the eastern part of the city was not officially registered with the state. Real estate transactions weren’t recorded, and in many cases, no clear title existed
(Blue ID or a cover story? What’s circulating in Jerusalem)
But unlike many other neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, most buildings in Umm Tuba did receive legal permits – after the municipality verified ownership. Residents claim they hold Jordanian and British Mandate documents proving private ownership, as well as tax records from decades of payments to the Jerusalem municipality
KKL, meanwhile, says it purchased the land nearly a century ago from five individuals in the village. Their claim was submitted recently to the Land Settlement Officer in the Justice Ministry – and approved, without any direct notice to the current residents. The families say the process was conducted behind their backs. Even if an online notice was published on a government website, they argue, it didn’t include plot numbers – and they had no way to know their homes were being claimed
This Is Our Land – and We’re Not Leaving
Yousef Abu Tir, a resident facing eviction and a spokesperson for many others, told us
“This is our land and our grandfather’s land. Where were they 30 years ago when my grandfather was living here? Ben Gvir and Smotrich just want to drive all Arabs into Jordan. We won’t leave our land. No one called us. No one came to talk to us
He added
“This decision is not just. The land is Palestinian land in Jabal Abu Ghneim. It belongs to our ancestors – and we will never abandon it
