FROM ISRAEL TODAY

Muslims try to turn Jerusalem cemetery demolition into international incident




Palestinian Arab Muslims on Wednesday continued to try to turn the demolition of a phony Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem into an international incident by gathering and protesting at the site.

Dozens of local Muslims turned up at the Mamila cemetery in adjacent to downtown Jerusalem's Independence Park to demonstrate against last week's clearing of 300 tombstone by the municipality. The Muslims accused Israel of "desecrating" the centuries-old cemetery where some of the Prophet Mohammed's companions are believed to be buried.

The demonstration was part of a clear attempt to rile up international condemnation of Israel, in addition to making a land grab in the center of Jerusalem, said municipality officials.

Last week, the municipality released photos and other details conclusively proving that the 300 graves in question had only recently been erected, and that there were no bodies buried under them.

Officials said the Islamic Trust (Waqf) that administers both the Mamila cemetery and the Temple Mount had requested a special permit to bring large trucks and bulldozers to the cemetery for maintenance work. But a reporter for Arutz 7 radio discovered that instead of cleaning up the cemetery, the Muslims were erecting phony tombs on an adjacent plot of land that is part of Independence Park.

The Muslims have failed to address the clear evidence that the tombstones were fake, and instead continue to shout about how Israel has uprooted a Muslim cemetery in hopes that the international media will pick up their version of the story.