Occupied Jerusalem, MINA – The Israeli occupation government intends to advance a plan to expand a Jewish national park onto church-owned lands and Christian holy sites in east Jerusalem.
The Times of Israel website claimed that the move, which it described as “unprecedented,” would not strip the landholders of their ownership, but it would give the Israeli government some authority over Palestinian and church properties and religious sites.
According to the website, Church officials and rights groups have condemned the measure as a land grab and a threat to the Christian presence in the holy city.
The opponents of this Judaization project also highlighted the ties the Israeli institutions responsible for advancing this plan have with settler groups that work to anchor the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem areas, including the flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, Palinfo reported.
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Rights groups believe the planned park expansion is part of a larger strategy to control adjacent areas of east Jerusalem to encircle Jerusalem’s Old City with Judaization projects.
The website also said that the plan would see the borders of the Jerusalem Walls National Park extended to include a large section of the Mount of Olives along with additional nearby areas. It is slated to receive preliminary approval from the Jerusalem municipality’s local planning and construction committee on March 2.
The national park expansion plan is being advanced amid increasingly strained ties between the Israeli government and church leaders, who affirm that their communities are under constant threat by radical Jewish groups.(T/R3/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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