Jerusalemite researcher Fakhri Abu Diyab has warned that the Israeli occupation authority (IOA) launched a major plan to Judaize the holy city of Jerusalem and seize control of the Aqsa Mosque describing the plan as “appalling and disturbing.”
“The occupation is working to plant more than 25000 settlers in the vicinity of the Aqsa Mosque and inside the Old City especially in Silwan by 2030” Abu Diyab said in press remarks on Wednesday.
He affirmed that the occupation state seeks to get rid of the Jerusalemites living around the Aqsa Mosque whom he described as “the first line of defense” and replace them with Jewish settlers as a prelude to tightening its grip on the Aqsa Mosque.
He also said that this plan which involves “the Holy Basin project” is also “aimed at obliterating over 35 percent of the Islamic and Christian landmarks and historic structures in order to formulate a fabricated history that corresponds with the Talmudic myths.”
The Jerusalemite activist pointed out that this Judaization project would be carried out over an area of 17500 dunums of Palestinian land from Sheikh Jarrah in the north of the holy city to Silwan in the south of the Aqsa Mosque.
However the occupation state expanded the area for this project to exceed 26500 dunums of the land of the Old City and its outskirts after recently including Jabel al-Zeitoun (Mount of Olives) Jabel al-Masharif (Mount Scopus) A-Thuri neighborhood and all the way to Jabel Mukaber neighborhood according to Abu Diyab.
He said that 22 foreign and Israeli companies recently won tenders put out by the Israeli government to carry out this Judaization project and change the cultural and historic features of Jerusalem.
