JERUSALEM, May 1, 2018 (WAFA) – For the third day in a row, staff from the Israeli nature authority protected by police continued on Tuesday to desecrate an ancient Muslim cemetery just outside Jerusalem’s Old City wall and despite objections by relatives of people buried there, mainly from nearby Silwan neighborhood, and Muslim Waqf officials who are in charge of the cemetery.

WAFA correspondent in Jerusalem said an Israeli police force provided protection to staff from the nature authority as they proceeded to dig up graves and land in the cemetery in preparation to take over an area of the ancient cemetery where centuries-old graves of Muslim leaders are found.

The correspondent said the Israelis brought a fence to place along the area they intend to cut off from the cemetery in order to build a supposedly national park at the expense of the Muslim graves.

The Silwan-based Wadi Hilweh Information Center said residents of the Palestinian neighborhood and Waqf officials confronted on Monday the Israeli staff to prevent them from desecrating the cemetery. Police nevertheless pushed the residents away and arrested one of them who was severely beaten and required hospitalization after he was released and ordered to stay away from the cemetery for two weeks.

M.K.