The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) in Jerusalem has persisted in its construction activities on an annexed swathe of land belonging to al-Yousefiya cemetery near the walls of the Old City as part of its plan to Judaize the area and establish Jewish and biblical paths and projects.
Member of the Higher Islamic Commission in Jerusalem Mustafa Abu Zahra said that the IOA started on Sunday to pave the passageway between al-Laqlaq tower east of the walls of the Old City and Bab al-Asbat plaza.
Abu Zahra affirmed that the annexed land is part of al-Yousefiya cemetery which is an Islamic mortmain site dating from the Mamluk and Ayyubid periods.
He told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that the IOA had demolished more than 40 graves a few years ago in the northern area of the cemetery and covered them with a large amount of concrete.
