Al-Aqsa Association: The Israeli Occupation Plants Thousands of Fake Jewish Tombs around the blessed Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Jerusalem

Over an Area of 300 Dunmas and as Part of Practicing the Government’s decision:

In a press report circulated last Monday in 21.5.2012, Al-Aqsa Association for Waqf and Heritage said that the Israeli Occupation and its executive arms in Occupied Jerusalem are collaborating and taking initiatives to plant thousands of fake Jewish tombs around the blessed Aqsa Mosque and the old city of Jerusalem, over an area of approximately 300 dunmas, starting at the Mount of Olives (to the east of Al-Aqsa Mosque), towards Wadi Selwan (south), and reaching Wadi Al-Rababa (to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque), enforcing the decisions of the Israeli government.

The association further said that the Occupation’s executive arms that include the Elad Association and the so-called Nature and Parks Authority have been escalating their work lately in planting those tombs, with the pretext of doing “reconstruction, maintenance, reform, development, engineering survey and statistics”. Al-Aqsa Association has emphasized the fact that the Israeli Occupation insists on, and seeks to Judaizing the entire area of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the old city of Jerusalem, and gaining complete control over the Waqf and the Palestinian lands in order to turn them into cemeteries, settlements; biblical and national parks; and Jewish establishments, so as to emphasize that the place for burying Jews in a part of the Islamic Waqf land, has been rented for Jewish people in order to bury their dead. The size of the mentioned area is much less than what the Israeli Occupation claims it to be. Back in the days of the Ottoman empire, this small area had been under the sole authority of the Islamic Waqdf -by Islamic tolerance- for a long period of time which ended in 1968, and was not renewed due to the fact of the Israeli Occupation. Under the Jordanian rule of Eastern Jerusalem, the Jewish tombs were preserved. However, after 1967, the Occupation took over tens of additional dunmas of Waqf and Palestinian lands, and turned them into new Jewish cemeteries and tombs that did not contain any headstones or remaining.
Al-Aqsa Association further emphasized that the Occupation practices major fabrication operations of geography, history, remnants and naming, in order to legitimize the fake Jewish tombs, and establish a holy Jewish area. In its press report and investigation, Al-Aqsa Association explained that throughout field patrols, continuous observation, historical research and listening to eyewitnesses from the areas around the mosque, it has reached the conclusion that the Israeli Occupation has been planting thousands of fake Jewish tombs while –along with its executive arms- preventing any maintenance or reconstruction of hundreds of historic Islamic tombs in Jerusalem. Conversely, it demolishes and sweeps hundreds of them, the same way it did with the historic and Islamic cemetery of Ma’man Allah in Jerusalem recently.
Al-Aqsa Association takes pride in the tolerance of Islam and Muslims who allowed the Jews to bury their dead in a piece of an Islamic Waf land, who has also preserved these tombs over periods of time. However, the Occupation took advantage of this Islamic tolerance in order to take control over more and more Waqf and Palestinian lands and turn them into fake cemeteries which serve the Judaizing and settlement project that is part of the Zionist project, aiming at turning Al-Aqsa mosque area into biblical parks and tracks which will represent part of the alleged Temple based on the Israeli Occupation vision.

Field Visits and Eyewitnesses:
In order to take account of the Israeli assault on the Islamic Waqfs, and to observe and learn the Israeli fabrication nature, Al-Aqsa Association’s staffs made a number of field patrols over the Waqf lands at the Mount of Olives, Silwan and Wadi Al-Rababa, of which the latest visit was last week.
According to Mr. Abdul-Majid Muhammad, who is following the Al-AAqsa Association’s file concerning the holy sites, and who took part in the mentioned patrols:
“The Israeli Occupation in Jerusalem is committing a very ugly crime on the lands of the Palestinians and the Islamic Waqf, whereby it plants thousands of fake Jewish tombs on this location. According to the people of Silwan, who have lived here for tens of years (i.e. Wadi Al-Rababa), there is a limited number of Jewish tombs on these locations. However, the Israeli Occupation’s institution is imposing a new reality, aiming to take control over the Palestinian and Waqf lands on these location, in which it is also going to plant 3000 tombs. And here comes the paradox: on the one hand, the Israeli institution plants tombs on lands that have but a limited number of tombs through planiting 3000 fake Jewish tombs. On the other hand, it sweeps 500 historic Islamic tombs at the Ma’man Allah cemetery, which has been taken by the executive arms of the Israeli institution, and most of its parts were swept away. On location, different hotels and public parks were built; all that is being done before the eyes of everyone. The Israeli Occupation’s institution has recently swept hundreds of tombs at the Ma’man Allah cemetery, knowing for sure that all the tombs which have been restored are historic tombs. But it took advantage of the restoration process and swept the tombs away. On the the hand, the Israeli institution plants thousands of fake tombs on tomb-less lands, and wants to impose a new reality so as to be able to take control over the Plaestnian and Islamic Waqf lands”. We asked Mr. Abdul-Majud whether he is against or pro Jewish tombs? To which he answered: “Any tomb is sacred, be it Jewish, Christian or Muslim. But here we’re talking about an act of thievery, fabrication and imposition of a new reality. The Occupation is planting tombs which are not –in fact- tombs; planting them on a piece of land which is not a cemetery. We are against this act; we are not against the tombs that have been there until this day. We say it should be reformed, since we –as Muslims- have presereved the Jewish tombs in Palestine for so long and over different periods of time. So is the case in Arab states. We at Al-Aqsa Association are about to publish an investigational book regarding the fact that Arab and Islamic states have always preserved Jewish cemeteries and synagogues”.
- “But how did you know these tombs were fake?”
- Abdul-Majid Eghbariya: “The facts in the field emphasizes that inside this cemetery there are neither headstones nor remnants of Jewish tombs. On the other hand, at Islamic cemeteries there are tombs that date back hundreds of years. Some may be dated to 1200 C.E. If we dig a half-meter in the ground, we will reach the tombstones or the headstones or even the remnants and the bones. However, right here in front of everyone, a wide area is being swept away in search of tombs; and they find nothing. No tombs, no rocks. The cemetery is almost empy of any rock. Therefore, they come with their rocks from outside and plant it inside the soil. Their ‘tombs’ have no bones or any headstones”.
- What do you mean by Fake Tomb?
- Abdul-Majid Eghbariya: “Fake Tomb: planting rocks in soil ground beneath which there is no buried dead”.
- What are the mechanisms of a fake tomb?
- Abdul-Majid Eghbariya: “They come with ordinary rocks from outside this location, they dig a hole with their bulldozer, then put an iron web. They cast the cement within, place two rocks above it, and call it a tomb. An eyewitness assured me that, one night, a group of Jews who work on this location, and for the sake of making it a historical place, brought some rocks from other places; rocks that have Hebrew writings on them, and placed them on a number of the newly-planted tombs. This emphasizes the ugly crime being committed by the Israeli Occupation”.
In addition, throughout its frequent field patrols, Al-Aqsa association listened to eyewitnesses who emphasized that the Israeli Occupation has planted many fake Jewish tombs in recent months in the areas or Ras Al-A’amoud, Silwan and different areas. They said they live in this area and they know it very well. Overnight they would discover that places which had no tombs at all, have been turned into places full of Jewish tombs as a result of planting fake tombs of different shapes and lengths.

Objectives and Implications:
According to Hajj Sami Rezq-Allah Abu Mukh – deputy of Al-Aqsa Association, who took part in the field patrols: “The Israeli Occupation so clearly and hideously seeks to impose a fake Hebraic history over Al-Aqsa Mosque. It attempts to impose a fake historic and religious right, while Al-Aqsa Mosque is being damaged by these fabricated realities. The Israeli institution wishes to impose such false realities in order to gain control over Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hajj Rezq-Allah further explained that “what we know for sure, and according to historical references in the city of Jerusalem, and based on existing proofs and documents there had beeen only few numbers of Jewish tombs on Islamic Waqf land which were offered by the Ottoman state for rent to the Jewish community in Jerusalem in order to bury their dead. However, the Israeli Occupation took advantage of this, and at the early Israeli Occupation in 1967, they took control of the Waqf land, and took over vast Palestinian and other Waqf lands. Until this day, the Occupation is still in control of the mentioned lands, claiming that the lands are its property; claiming to have a history that dates back to hundreds of years and even 3000 years. The Israeli claims are false. If the cemetery has been rented for 99 years, how is it possible to claim a history of 3000 years”.

Paradoxes: Few number of Jews live in the old city of Jerusalem and have vast areas to bury their dead:
In his book The City of Jerusalem: Residents and Land, Arabs and Jews, and based on the statistic books of residents and lands in the Ottoman archive, Dr. Mahmoud Eisa Salhiya mentions that the number of the Jews who were charged of paying tribute were 60 married individuals, which makes them 480 individuals (supposing that a household consists of 8 individuals), or 300 (supposing that a household consists of 5 individuals).
As for the properties, book #342 that dates back to 970 A.H./ 1562 C.E., does not mention any Waqf or property registered in Jewish name: neither in Jerusalem nor in its surrounding villages nor in Hebron and its area. Even the Jewish cemetery at Ras Al-A’amoud near Silwan was part of the Islamic Waqfs rented for Jews to bury their dead; It is part of the Saladin school in Jerusalem that was rented in 967 A.H./ 1559 C.E. In the registries of the Islamic Court in Jerusalem there are documents which mention that people used to pay for renting the cemetery in the years 968 and 969 A.H. (1560 – 1561). In the year 1061 A.H. / 1650 C.E., the rugged land known as Al-Thawri was rented for Karaite Jews to bury their dead, excluding the Ashkenazi Jews (western Jews) – (Jews used to live as a minority in the old city of Jerusalem, and rented houses from Muslims).
In his book Al-Mufassal fi tareekh el-Quds, A’arf el-A’arf says: “As for the cemetery at which the Jews used to bury their dead today -1947 C.E. -, which is located on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho, and Silwan and Al-Toor, the land it rests upon belongs to the Islamic Waqf. Muslims allowed its use for a certain amount of money paid to the Waqf undertaker”.
Here appears the paradox. It is obvious that the number of Jews in Jerusalem was small. How could it be possible that the area of the Jewish cemetery is extending according to the claims of the Occupation today?
The Occupation and its Arms: 4 Jewish Cemeteries with the Size of 300 Dunmas:
By the time Eastern Jerusalem fell into the Israeli Occupation hands, vast areas of Waqf lands were seized under control, and the project of “reforming” Jewish tombs was initiated. The project declared many Jewish cemeteries on the foothills of the Mount of Olives, to the east of Al-Aqsa Mosque at the overlooking area. The Occupation named it “The Har Zitim Cemetery”. It also declared another close-by cemetery located to the south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, towards the Wadi Silwan/Tantoor Far’on cliff, and claimed that there were graveyards for Jews and for a number of Israelite prophets, such as the tomb of Zachary and Absalom. The Occupation also claimed that there was another cemetery at western foothills of Silwan, towards Wadi al-Rababa, and gave it the name “The Sambuski Cemetery of Poor Jews”. It also declared yet another cemetery at Al-Thawri hill, and gave it the name “The Karaite Cemetery”. In addition, it claimed the existence of graveyards within the caves at the mentioned territories, with an area of approximately 300 dunmas.
The Occupation claims that burial in these 3 cemeteries has been practiced for almost 3000 years, from the days of the alleged First Temple. At the same time, some Israeli scholars agree that there is neither historical nor archeological evidence that would lead to the conclusion that there is a history of Jewish tombs which date back to the days of the “Temples”. In fact, they tend to agree that the history of the tombs or the burial practice date back to 500 years ago, and that in the days of the Ottoman empire, Jews used to pay money for burying their dead.
Meanwhile, the Occupation builds settlement units and outposts in different places known as The Jewish Cemeteries. In addition, it builds supporting walls, tracks, and canteens; installing explanatory and guidance signs within these cemeteries; fixing lights, watching towers and cameras; executing The Engineering and Statistic Survey Project for Jewish cemeteries, and creating websites and query centers to introduce the project named The Mount of Olives Cemetery, for instance. All that aims to achieve a faster execution of Judaizing the areas of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the old city of Jerusalem, by planting thousands of fake Jewish tombs.

Governmental decisions, international visits, and divergent occupation arms to execute the Judaizing project:
The project of planting fake Jewish tombs is, in fact, the result of the Israeli government’s decisions, which is being implemented by the Prime Minister’s Office as part of a more comprehensive project to support Judaizing the city of Jerusalem. A special ministerial committee was formed in 2004 under the name “The Committee for Rescuing the Mount of Olives Cemetery”. The most notable of these government decisions, is decision #3090 which was issued on 9/8/2005 under the name Reinforcing the City of Jerusalem.
The size of the budget arranged for many different projects to support Judaizing the city of Jerusalem, and especially the area of Al-Aqsa, is 480 million NIS, to be spent between the years 2006 and 2013. Among the most notable projects is the reformation of The Mount of Olives Cemetery, establishing a query center for the cemetery, promoting security (translated into installing tens of monitoring cameras). In a special file submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office concerning its special work program in Jerusalem in 2011, in order to develop the city as a Jewish national center, the Israeli government set 7 main assignments and targets for this year, including the reformation of The Mount of Olives Cemetery, where 7100 Jewish tombs were “reformed and reconstructed” at the mentioned cemetery.
Due to the importance of this project and similar ones, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, paid a special visit to The Mount of Olives Cemetery in 27/2/2012, followed by a similar visit by Nir Barkat, the mayor of the occupation municipality in Jerusalem, with the daughter of Menachem Begin, the former Israeli Prime Minister, who visited the tomb of her father.
Last year in 28/2/2011, officials from the Israeli government along with Jewish organization leaders from the US and Israeli activists, made a tour at The Mount of Olives Cemetery. A statement issued by the government’s press office, said that “the international committee for preserving The Mount of Olives Cemetery” accompanied by senior leaders of Jewish organizations, such as Malcolm Hoenlein, the participation of the Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Yuli Edelstein, along with other officials from the Eastern Jerusalem Development Authority, who also took part in this visit. The international committee assured that it is “working constantly with the governmental offices, including the Prime Minister Office, for what it calls ‘the reclamation of the cemetery’”.

It should be noted that insisting on taking control of the Waqf land at the Mount of Olives and Silwan to turn it into a vast Jewish cemetery, had begun with the early days of the Occupation. Many governmental decisions were made precisely for this regard in 1968, 1998 and 2004. In 2006, a new bill was submitted concerning the establishment of a new authority under the name “The Mount of Olives Authority” for the year 2009. Special sessions were held in the Israeli Knesset Committees, whereby it is noted that the Israeli Occupation, ever since 2004, is trying to promote its control over the mentioned Waqf land and turn it into a Jewish cemetery and a sacred Jewish heritage site. Since 2010, there has been an escalation in planting fake Jewish tombs, following a special report issued by the office of the so-called “State Comptroller”, along with field visits by the Interior Committee of the Israeli Knesset which took place in 1/6/2010, followed with a field visit by the State Comptroller Committee in 26/10/2010.
Many executive arms of the Occupation is planning and executing the process of planting fake Jewish tombs under the name “Reclamation/Development of Tombs”, or establishing Talmudic and biblical parks. Among these Occupation arms are the Prime Minister’s Office, The Hebrew Municipality of Jerusalem, the so-called The Jerusalem Development Authority, The Eastern Jerusalem Development Authority, The Ministry of Construction and Housing, The Israeli Antiquities Authority, The Elad Association, The Nature and National Parks Authority, and the burial associations and companies. Global Zionism supports this project through The International Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries and The International Committee for the Preservation of the Mount of Olives Cemetery.
In March 2012, Israeli newspapers published a piece of news addressing the fact that the Occupation’s Municipality has arranged 2 million NIS for the reclamation of the Jewish cemetery at the Mount of Olives.

It is important to note that the Occupation has set detailed schemes to turn the areas of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the old city of Jerusalem into biblical and national parks, exactly like the detailed scheme for Wadi Qadroun. Other special studies were conducted in regard with this file by The Jerusalem Institute for Israeli Studies. These studies address the Jewish cemetery and biblical parks as part of the Jewish efforts to cast Jewish holiness on the area of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and use falsifying Judaizing terms such as The Holy Basin or The Historic Basin over an area of 2,5 km2.
- Please mention the source of the report.
- To watch the video of the subject under discussion, please visit the institute’s website or the following link:

http://www.4shared.com/video/r4j0WkRw/_____.html?

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