Occupation excavations in the town of Silwan threaten to collapse the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque and dozens of houses

Occupied Al-Quds, (ST) – The Israeli occupation’s excavations in the town of Silwan, south of Al-Aqsa Mosque, do not stop, and the goal is to change its features and impose a new Judaizing reality based on falsifying the history of this town, which is rich in ancient antiquities.

The Palestinians warned from the continuation of these excavations because they will lead to the collapse of dozens of houses in the town, in addition to threatening the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque after the dust has been removed from the bottom.

In a statement to SANA reporter, the spokesman for the people of Silwan, Fakhri Abu Diab said that the town of Silwan, which is adjacent to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) from the southern and southeastern side, contains a treasure of antiquities. “Silwan represented a center for civilizations that passed through the city, so the occupation has sought, since 1967, to expand excavations in order to destroy its cultural heritage and falsify its history”, he added.

Abu Diab pointed out that the occupation used the excavations in the town to achieve two goals, which are to obliterate history and civilization and then falsify it, in addition to seizing lands and preventing Palestinians from approaching them under the pretext of excavations and the presence of antiquities. He indicated that through these excavations, the occupation has seized 23 percent of the town’s land, which is 5,640 dunums.

Abu Diab indicated that the occupation carried out about 67 excavation works in Silwan, which resulted in the serious cracking of more than 102 Palestinian facilities and homes. He said that these excavations coincide with the occupation’s building of several settlement outposts in the town to change the cultural and historical landscape of the city of Al-Quds.

In turn, Director of Al-Quds International Center Hassan Khater stated that the excavations in Silwan are taking place on several levels.

“There are ongoing excavations to the west of the town near Al-Aqsa Mosque, indicating that there are excavations related to the tunnel linking Ain Silwan area to Al-Buraq Square from the western side of Al-Aqsa”, Khater added.

Khater pointed out that the occupation is working to deepen this tunnel and make sub-tunnels in several directions towards the Umayyad palaces area and towards the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the eastern side. He said that it is one of the largest tunnels dug by the occupation and expanded to serve its goals in the Judaization of Al-Aqsa, as teh Israeli occupation plans to seize all the areas located south of the mosque, which are part of Silwan, by demolishing several areas, such as the Al-Bustan neighborhood and others, to ensure new areas that he digs and excavates in to complete the encirclement of Al-Aqsa from the southern side.

For his part, Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, indicated that the Israeli occupation continues to draw a new reality in the city of Al-Quds based on perpetuating Judaization and settlement in a blatant challenge to the international community, which keeps silent over the cultural and historical massacre committed by the occupation in the city in general and in the town of Silwan in particular.

Abu Yousef pointed out that the Palestinians have made numerous appeals to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to pressure the occupation as to stop the excavations which target history, antiquities and civilization, but to no avail due to the double international standards that are dealt when it comes to the Israeli occupation.

Raghda Sawas