OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)
Islamic authorities in Jerusalem condemned the excavation and expansion work carried out by Israeli occupation’s municipal teams in “Hosh Shahabi,” adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, calling it a significant development and a blatant violation of international law.
The statement, issued on Tuesday, highlighted that the actions of the occupation authorities to expand the area at Ribat al-Kurd to allow Jews to pray and impose a new reality in this sensitive location constitute a serious violation of one of the historic Islamic sites within the Old City of Jerusalem.
The statement was signed by the Council of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, the Islamic Higher Commission, the Palestinian Fatwa House, the Supreme Judge’s Department, and the Islamic Awqaf Department in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
According to the statement, the occupation authorities removed a barrier that the Jerusalem Awqaf had placed to close off access to a tunnel that has been excavated for decades.
Israeli municipal teams, along with personnel from the Israeli Ministry of Antiquities, began excavation and expansion work in the Ribat al-Kurd area, also known as “Hosh Shahabi,” adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque on Monday.
Arie King, the deputy mayor of the occupation’s municipality, posted a series of photos from the site on his Facebook page, stating, “It is our duty to reinforce sovereignty and governance in the Old City.” He claimed that regular worshippers at the “small wall” have been trying for several years to encourage the municipality and the state to act there, considering themselves the rightful owners, but there have always been excuses.
This area is located at the Iron Gate (one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque), situated between the Cotton Merchants’ Gate and the Gate of the Imam, and is part of the western wall of the Mosque, with a history dating back seven centuries.
The Islamic authorities warned in their statement of this “blatant violation,” which they described as part of a systematic policy to encircle Al-Aqsa Mosque with Judaizing projects, posing a real danger to the wall and courtyard of Ribat al-Kurd, which are considered an integral part of Al-Aqsa.
They called on Arab and Islamic countries, the international community, and all relevant international bodies to “urgently intervene to stop these violations and halt the tampering with historic Islamic sites, which represent a blatant infringement on Islamic endowments and a cultural heritage that has existed for thousands of years.”
The authorities also urged the Israeli occupation to respect international law and the decisions of UNESCO’s Executive Board and the World Heritage Committee, which have explicitly warned and demanded that Israel, as the occupying power, cease its violations and confiscations of important areas adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque, including the Bab al-Rahma cemetery, the Umayyad palaces, the Mughrabi Gate hill, and Ribat al-Kurd.
According to Israeli news sources, the initiation of work in this location within the Islamic Quarter was approved directly by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the participation of the National Security Council, police, and the internal security agency (Shabak) in the discussions.
