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Mayor of Shefar'am: "Calls on Jews to come and live with us" | Israel today

2022-06-01T11:39:20.571Z


Surprising cooperation in the north: Jewish elements have recently begun renovating the tombs of the righteous in Arab localities - with the approval of the municipalities • In the field, the reactions are mixed: "Let them come and live with us, not in our place"


Jewish elements have recently begun working to renovate the tombs of the righteous within the localities of the Arab sector in the Galilee, according to a series of documents and testimonies obtained by Israel Today.

The reactions that these moves provoke in Shefar'am and Araba, the cities where the activity is currently concentrated, are mixed.

"I call on the Jews to come and live with us in the city," says Shefar'am mayor Ursan Yassin. "They lived here with us years ago, and there are Jews who were born in Shefar'am. I would be happy to have them with us."

Recently, Yassin complied with a request from religious Jewish elements and approved the renovation of the tomb complex of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava, which is located in the heart of the western neighborhoods of Shefar'am.

"Some Jews lived in Shefar'am," Yassin, Photo: Michelle dot com

Maintenance work on the grave site, Photo: No credit

Indeed, in recent weeks, the residents of the neighborhoods have begun to notice an unusual and large movement of young Jews who came to work on the renovation of the compound, erected toilets and a shed, and worked to expand the existing structure in the area.

However, and despite the positive spirit heard in the municipality, after some of the neighbors approached the police, the municipality and the local planning and construction committee, it was discovered that some of the work was carried out on the site without a permit.

"Afraid of extremists"

Two other complexes that are expected to undergo renovation soon are within the city of Araba in the Galilee.

An agreement recently signed by the Araba Municipality with the "Institutions of the Holy Tanna Institutions" association, a copy of which was obtained by "Israel Today", states that the association is supposed to renovate the tomb complex of the Tanna Rabbi Hanina Ben Dosa and his wife, located in the city.

According to the signed wording, "This agreement was made out of a common goal of the parties to provide for the possibility of a dignified prayer at the tomb of the righteous and his wife, while maintaining the dignity of the neighbors and other city residents working near the tomb of the righteous."

The text of the agreement reached by "Israel Today", Photo: From the document

Unlike Shefar'am, in Araba the move provoked louder opposition.

A local cleric, who sharply criticized the mayor, was even arrested and released on restrictive conditions last week, while being barred from reaching the grave site next to the local cemetery.

Following the audit, Mayor Ali Waked Nassar published a post in which he stressed that in any case the ownership of the tomb complex was and remains the property of the Araba Municipality.

According to him, the purpose of the agreement with the Jewish association is to regulate the visiting and activity hours at the Tomb of the Righteous, among other things to reduce the harm to residents and the nearby Muslim cemetery.

This, in addition to installing security cameras in place.

Evidence of the explosive potential of the renovation activity in Shefar'am and Araba can be found in some of the opponents' statements, who expressed concern that the entry of Jewish workers and critics could also lead to the establishment of Jewish settlement nuclei.

"Jews and Arabs live together in a good neighborhood in the Galilee, Jews are welcome here all the time," claimed a public leader living in Araba.

Murad Haddad, a public activist from Shfaram, claims that he tried to contact the authorities and get more information about what was happening on the ground, but encountered, according to him, an "iron wall."

He said, "Shefar'am has a painful past. The claim that Jews lived here is correct. We have no problem with anyone, provided he wants to live here with us and not in our place."

The institutions of the Tanna Tomb confirmed to "Israel Today" that the agreement is with them.

"Unfortunately, there are elements who want to prevent the prayer of Jews there for various reasons. It hurts us because we just want to return the holy place to function and we have no demands on it or a desire to take ownership but only to pray."

In a conversation with "Israel Today", Murad Haddad, a public activist from Shefar'am who was the first to discover the activity in the tomb, who contacted the relevant authorities for information and encountered an "iron wall", he said: A painful attempt with Natan Zada, who murdered the city's residents while they were Arabs. "

Haddad added: "It is true that Jews lived here, but they lived and did not settle and were not connected to the settlement enterprise, and here is the big problem because we have no problem with anyone who wants to live with us and not in our place."

Participated in the preparation of the article:

Assaf Golan

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Source: israelhayom

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