Palestinian Authority Condemns Israel's Heritage Center at Atarot Airport as Illegal Settlement Expansion

The Palestinian Authority has strongly condemned Israel's plan to establish a new heritage center at the historic Atarot Airport site in Jerusalem, accusing Israel of attempting to "establish facts on the ground" and reinforce an Israeli narrative. The cornerstone ceremony for the center took place on Sunday, attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion. The center, to be housed in the historic airport building, will focus on the history of Israeli aviation and the development of settlements in the area, incorporating the story of Atarot Airport itself.

The Palestinian Authority described the project as a "dangerous escalation of the settlement plan" and a "blatant violation of international law." They claimed Israel is pursuing a systematic policy to alter Jerusalem's geographic and historical identity by taking control of a key symbol of Palestinian sovereignty and converting it into a center that supports the Israeli narrative and consolidates annexation efforts. The PA warned that this expansion harms the prospects for an independent, geographically contiguous Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and called for urgent action to halt the Israeli move and prevent the transformation of "occupied Jerusalem's" identity.