OCCUPATION BEGINS DIGGING TUNNEL AT THE SILWAN ENTRANCE NEAR AL-AQSA

Al-Quds, 20 Muharram 1434/04 Desember 2012 (PIC/MINA) – The Information Center of Wadi Hilweh revealed that the occupation authorities have begun digging a tunnel connecting the Israeli outpost of “Ir David” and the Square of Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, at the entrance to the town of Silwan, south of Al Aqsa Mosque.

According to the Center, the Jerusalem Development Company “Moriah” has distributed a flyer in Wadi Hilweh neighborhood, regarding the arrangements for the traffic movement in the area because of the excavations carried out by the occupation authorities.

It stated that “according to the map attached to the bulletin, the excavation work are concentrated in the Wadi Hilweh’s main street in order to build a tunnel for pedestrians, only for settlers and tourists, and which will be linking the Ir David settlement outpost, built on the territory of the town of Silwan, with the Square of Wadi Hilweh neighborhood.”

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The Centre added in a press statement on Monday that the excavations, conducted by Moriah Company in collaboration with the Jerusalem Municipality, the Israeli police and the Antiquities Authority, will be launched in a few days and will finish in two months

The statement rejected the occupation’s allegation describing the project as “evolutionary”, stressing that “it is, in the first place, a settlement judaizing project, and would cause serious damage to the residents of Wadi Hilweh, as they will be affected by the closure of the main street of the neighborhood.

For his part, the Minister of Awqaf and Religious Affairs, Dr. Ismail Radwan, denounced the occupation procedure, in a press release on Monday.

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The Minister said that this new tunnel will only serve the settlers and tourists, and will impose restrictions on the residents of Silwan, who will be forced to use bypass roads due to the closure of the main street.

Radwan considered the continuation of the Israeli policy of Judaizing Jerusalem’s historic landmarks as destruction of the historical Islamic monuments of Jerusalem, pointing out that this policy threatens the outbreak of religious wars for which only the Israeli entity will be responsible.

He also condemned the dangerous resolution of establishing 3 thousand new settlement units in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, holding Israel fully responsible for the consequences of such decisions. (T/R-022/R-006)