ISRAEL TO REBUILD OLD CITY’S NEIGHBORHOODS FOR JEWS

Jerusalem, 28 Rajab 1436/17 May 2015 (MINA) – An Israeli construction company on Saturday called for tenders to estimate the prices of and to rebuild nine Palestinian neighborhoods in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem which have been confiscated and partially destroyed.

In a press statement on Saturday (16/5), Khalil al-Tafakji, expert in settlement at the Arab Studies Society, said most of the targeted areas in the Old City are endowment territories belonging to Jerusalemite families, Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

These Arab neighborhoods were confiscated in 1968 after seizing 116 dunums for the public benefit. Their Palestinian inhabitants were displaced as well. The Israelis claim it as a Jewish district, while only 5 dunums out of 116 were inhabited by Jews.

He pointed out that the call for tenders is very dangerous as it means transferring the ownership of all the Palestinian neighborhoods to Jews who will be occupying them.

“Three years ago, the Israeli government announced its intention to register the properties of the Old City by new Jewish names to replace the Palestinians,” Tafakji said.

He disclosed the endorsement of detailed plan to renovate and reconstruct an Israeli Synagogue for the Sephardic Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem with an area of 1,400 square meters and an altitude of 23 meters.

This decision followed the construction of a synagogue for the western Jews just 30 meters far from the location of the new synagogue to be built. (T/P006/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)