On Friday, the Israeli occupation forces arrested two Jerusalemites after attacking a group of Jerusalemites at the entrance to the Yusufiya Cemetery in occupied Jerusalem.
The occupation soldiers fired sound bombs at the people, and the families of the dead were prevented from entry.
This week, the IOF bulldozed the Yusufiya cemetery, adjacent to the walls of the Old City in occupied Jerusalem.
The Israeli “Nature Authority” continued their excavation, burial and bulldozing operations in the cemetery, with the protection of members of the occupation police who prevent Jerusalemites from accessing it for the past five days, where they are building an iron fence on the western side of the cemetery.
Yesterday, Thursday, the IOF installed surveillance cameras inside the cemetery of the Martyrs’ Memorial, where the cameras revealed several locations and entrances to the cemetery.
Last year, the occupation municipality in Jerusalem and the Israeli “Nature Authority” began establishing a biblical garden on part of the Yusufiyah cemetery, which is considered one of the largest Islamic cemeteries in the city.
The Committee for the Care of Islamic Cemeteries in Jerusalem submitted objections to the Israeli courts to stop the bulldozing, the latest of which was a week ago, to the Israeli Central Court, but the court rejected the request, and allowed the bulldozing work to continue.
Al-Yusufiyah cemetery has been under attack for years by the occupation authorities and excavations, which reached archaeological foundations close to the doorstep of the Lions Gate.
The importance of the cemetery’s geographical location stems from its proximity to the Jerusalem Wall and the Lions Gate, which is the most important entrance to the Old City. It also includes the tombs of Jordanian soldiers and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
In 2014, the occupation forces prevented burial in the northern part of the cemetery, and removed 20 graves containing the remains of Jordanian soldiers killed in 1967 in what is known as the “Martyrs’ Cemetery” and the monument to the Unknown Soldier.
The occupation authorities are seeking to turn this cemetery into a garden as part of a project for settlers around the walls of the Old City and to eliminate any Islamic heritage there.
