Palestinian calls for the formation of an international fact-finding committee in the excavations of the occupation in Jerusalem

Occupied Jerusalem-Sana

Cracks and cracks in Palestinian homes and extensive landslides in the Bab al-Silsilah neighborhood in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem as a result of the continued Israeli occupation of excavations and tunnels under the neighborhood and below the blessed Al Aqsa Mosque and its surroundings, which warns of breakdowns and demolition in the walls, floors and buildings of the mosque in the occupation's attempt to Judaize Al Aqsa.

The residents of the neighborhood pointed to the expansion of the cracks in the walls and ceilings and the appearance of collapses in the floors of their homes and their shops and the inability to close the doors of their homes due to the landing and the leakage of water from the roofs in addition to the flow of water from the floors warning of a complete collapse of houses in light of the expansion of collapses and cracks.

Palestinian human rights institutions have documented the existence of more than 104 tunnels dug by the Israeli occupation under the occupied city of Jerusalem and in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa in order to make it gradually collapse and the absence of Arab and Islamic civilizations in it. In addition, the occupation continues to seize the antiquities and lands surrounding Al-Aqsa to implement its plans to change the Islamic character of the region and Judaize it.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement that the excavation and tunnels network established by the Israeli occupation below the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City in occupied Jerusalem is a crime according to international law and the Geneva Conventions, calling for the formation of an international fact-finding committee to determine its risks and hold those responsible accountable.

She explained that the occupation forces the people of Bab Al-Silsila neighborhood to evacuate their homes under the pretext of collapses and cracks to implement its settlement plans in the areas adjacent to the blessed extremity, noting that these excavations are part of the occupation's plans to Judaize Jerusalem and change the existing historical and legal reality that requires the international community and its specialized organizations, particularly the United Nations organization For education, science and culture "UNESCO" obliges the occupation authorities to stop them immediately.

Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hanan Ashrawi pointed out, in a statement to a Sana correspondent, that the excavations in occupied Jerusalem, especially below Al-Aqsa, reached the stage of a catastrophe, indicating that the Security Council and the UNESCO were sent to dispatch a fact-finding committee to determine closely the severity of what the excavations reached. The foundations of Al-Aqsa and entire residential neighborhoods in Jerusalem, as part of the occupation's attempts to obscure the archaeological and cultural landmarks of the city of Jerusalem, are threatened.

And Ashrawi indicated that the international community cannot remain silent on the crimes of the occupation against Al-Aqsa, which faces grave dangers, and must press the Israeli occupation to stop this crime and the disaster against the Al-Aqsa and holy sites.

Member of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian People's Party, Ghassan Al-Khatib, called on UNESCO, which included Jerusalem and its sanctuaries on the World Heritage List, to act and obligate the occupation to stop excavations and destruction operations for heritage and civilization, noting that the international community is satisfied with silence towards the catastrophe in the lower Al-Aqsa and its vicinity and in the Old City.

Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Al-Barghouthi explained that the occupation started these excavations since its occupation of Jerusalem in 1967, pointing out that the Palestinian institutions concerned demanded the international community, especially UNESCO, to save the history and civilization of Jerusalem from the destruction and forgery carried out by the occupation. Now, all international institutions are required to take urgent action to stop The crime of occupation in Jerusalem and the excavation and judaization that threaten the holy places.

The director of the Wadi Hilweh Center in Jerusalem, Jawad Siyam, said: Every day a tragedy occurs through the cracking of houses or the collapse of the ceilings of other houses, noting that it occurred before a period of collapse in the yard of the Jerusalem Girls School, causing 14 students to be injured, and collapses occurred in a number of shops and the recent rains revealed On huge excavations carried out by the occupation in Jerusalem.

Siam pointed out that the occupation established a huge network of tunnels under the Bab Al-Silsila and Wadi Hilweh neighborhoods, which are adjacent to the southernmost part of the southern side, in order to surround the Aqsa and complete the construction of excavations under its foundations, calling for the speedy dispatch of an international fact-finding committee to save the sanctuaries from Israeli excavations that threaten their existence and save the lives of hundreds of The people of Jerusalem in these neighborhoods that are in danger of collapsing and who confirm their steadfastness on their land and defend their homes in light of the occupation attack targeting their existence.

The director of the Jerusalem International Center, Hassan Khater, pointed out that the occupation prevents the Palestinians from repairing the houses located in the Old City of Jerusalem and emptied the dirt beneath them, which made them vulnerable to collapse.

On June 23, 2018, UNESCO decided to keep the occupied city of Jerusalem and its walls listed on the World Heritage List at risk, calling on the Israeli occupation to stop its violations that would change the distinctive character of the city.