Israel’s Jerusalem municipality on Monday demolished new parts of Mamilla Cemetery in favor of settlement projects.
According to Arab 48 Israel has so far destroyed 400 grave markers and tombs to clear way for the construction of cafés hotels restaurants and the so-called “Museum of Tolerance”.
Mamilla is one of the most prominent Muslim cemeteries that contains the remains of figures from the early Islamic period including scholars and warriors.
The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the Gaza Strip in an official statement condemned the Israeli plan to wipe off the cemetery and described it as an “unprecedented crime” against Islamic sanctuaries in the occupied territories.
The Ministry called on concerned international organizations especially UNESCO to protect the Islamic sites in Jerusalem and put an end to the Israeli policies targeting this sacred historical heritage.
