Arab workers have resumed work on an illegal expansion of a Mosque on Har Hazeitim, according to new evidence obtained by the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeitim. The Jerusalem Municipality, headed Mayor Nir Barkat, had issued a “Stop Order” on construction of a mosque a mere ten feet from the gravesite of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin on Har Hazeitim. The order called for all those involved in the construction to “cease all building activity” at the site. In a disturbing twist to the developments, squatters are said to have moved in to the yet to be completed Mosque. (photo attached)

In an urgent letter to Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat, Committee Chairman Avrohom Lubinsky writes:

“It is with a deep sense of regret and anguish that I am contacting you once again about the illegal expansion of the Ras Al Amud Mosque on Har Hazeitim. We have received reliable information and new photographs that clearly indicates that the expansion of the Mosque has once again illegally resumed despite the Stop Order of the Municipality. This new flagrant violation of Israeli law is particularly disturbing in light of repeated assurances by your office and the Prime Minister’s Office that the resumption of constriction of the Mosque would not be tolerated. As you can see from the attached photos, not only is the expansion an encroachment on Har Hazeitim itself, but it has even become a haven for squatters.

Mr. Mayor, the expansion of the Mosque is an affront to the memory of the martyrs and Jewish notables who are buried within feet of the Mosque. It is particularly a defilement of the memory of the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin, whose eternal resting place will soon be adjacent to a Mosque. It will create enormous hardships for Jewish mourners, worshippers, and visitors who wish to reach the cemetery and perhaps most importantly is an attempt by the Arabs to lay claim to a part of the holiest and oldest Jewish cemetery.”

Mr. Lubinsky expressed the hope that the police in Jerusalem would move swiftly to enforce the order and oust the squatters, as well as putting a halt to the desecration of Har Hazeitim by seeing to it that the entire illegal structure is summarily dismantled. He said that the ICPHH in the US and Israel would continue to monitor the situation. Mr. Lubinsky added: “I hope that the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jerusalem Municipality will stand by their promise to enforce the Stop Order.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)