The court has given the green light for the immediate resumption of construction on Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance, which was halted after Muslims petitioned the court, stating the site selected for the museum is an ancient Muslim cemetery.

The museum being constructed in the Mammilla area is under the auspices of the Wiesenthal Center, towards promoting tolerance and respect between peoples and nations.

In 2006, the al-Aqsa Muslim Holy Sites Development organization petitioned the Supreme Court after burial remains were uncovered in early stages of building. After two years, Supreme Court Justices Edna Arbel, Ayala Procaccia, and David Cheshin ruled construction may continue on the limited area of the museum itself, ensuring remains of the cemetery are not desecrated. The court has also instructed the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ministry of Religious Services to respond within 60 days regarding the possibility of moving the graves to an alternate site at the expense of the museum.

Attorney Moshe Lifshitz, who represents the museum, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, which he states takes Muslim religious sensitivities into account while permitting continued progress on the museum.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)