Israel seizes control of historic Nabi Samuel mosque from Islamic waqf

Israel seizes control of historic Nabi Samuel mosque from Islamic waqf Submitted by Lubna Masarwa on Tue, 05/26/2026 - 16:24 Palestinians say expropriation of religious site is further exploitation of archaeology and religion to target Palestinian land and identity People visit the Tomb of Samuel at the Nabi Samuel village between Ramallah and Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, 24 September 2021 (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli) Off Israel has issued an order to seize the tomb of the Prophet Samuel (Nabi Samuel), an important religious landmark in the occupied West Bank run by the Islamic Waqf, in a move that has been condemned as the latest example of “Judaisation” of Palestinian sites. On Tuesday, Israel’s civil administration, which carries out Israeli orders in the occupied West Bank, announced that it was expropriating 28 acres of land. That land includes the Palestinian towns of Beit Iksa and Nabi Samuel, covering the area where the historic Nabi Samuel mosque stands.