Alarm bells continue to be sounded over Israeli measures seeking to grab hold of the eastern corners of Bab al-Rahma Cemetery adjacent to the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Located beneath the eastern walls of Occupied Jerusalem the historical Bab al-Rahma Cemetery is home to the body remains of a number of companions of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him. Muslims’ bodies have been buried in the cemetery for over 1400 years.
It is bordered on the east by a wall leading to the Maghareba Gate and on the west by Jerusalem’s eastern wall which also makes part of al-Aqsa Mosque wall.
Head of the Committee of Islamic Cemeteries in Occupied Jerusalem Mustafa Abu Zahra said the occupation authorities have set up an iron wall south of the cemetery on an endowment land tract overseeing al-Husaini Hill.
He added that the targeted part covers an area of five dunums. One more dunum has been seized from the cemetery’s southern corners.
Speaking with a PIC news correspondent Abu Zahra said the cemetery is an Islamic waqf (endowment) which is proved by historical documents.
He warned of Israeli intents to Judaize parts of the cemetery including an area which is home to the graves of 123 Egyptian soldiers buried in Occupied Jerusalem before 1948.
“The iron wall finalized on Thursday has taken way the largest area of the Egyptian martyrs’ graveyard” said Abu Zahra adding that touristic sites and Talmudic parks will be built in the area.”
He said a lawsuit has been filed at the Israeli Central Court in Occupied Jerusalem over Israel’s takeover of five dunums of the cemetery.
Others parts of the cemetery from the southern side were also seized a few years ago particularly in the areas where Muslim burials are banned by the occupation authorities.
“We hope that the court verdict would be on Muslims’ side though we know very well that the court adopts the claims of the (Israeli) Nature Authority that that there are no objections over the confiscation” he said.
Abu Zahra expressed concerns over Israeli schemes to establish a cable car on the confiscated land saying plans for the Israeli projects have been released.
“The targeted lands belong to every single Muslim in the world. They are adjacent to the third holiest site in Islam and make part of Palestine’s and Jerusalem’s historic land” he said. “All Muslims should stand on guard to such schemes aiming to obliterate the Islamic identity of Jerusalem’s holy sites.”
He called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation along with the Egyptian and Turkish governments to take urgent action vis-à-vis Israel’s sacrilegious plots.
Bab al-Rahma Cemetery covers an area of 23 dunums stretching from al-Asbat Gate down to al-Aqsa walls.
