MEMO, August 11, 2010

The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Endowments has revealed that after midnight on 10 August, bulldozers of the Israeli Occupation dug up and completely removed more than 200 tombs from the Ma’man Allah cemetery in Jerusalem, which is the oldest and largest Islamic burial site in the city. Ma’man Allah is also the burial ground for a number of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) as well as scholars, notables, martyrs and the general Muslim population of Jerusalem.

A crew from the Al-Aqsa Foundation has maintained a continuous presence at the cemetery since the Magistrate’s court ruling on Monday afternoon permitting the destruction of the tombs. The crew, which includes Mr. Fawaz Hassan, an observer of the work of Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, the journalist Mahmoud Abu 'Ata, the media co-ordinator for the Al-Aqsa Foundation and Mr. Sharaf Ahmad, the Al-Aqsa Foundation’s press photographer, has been closely monitoring the activities of the Israeli Occupation both day and night.

The al-Aqsa crew inside the cemetery have confirmed that bulldozers, trucks and a large number of staff and Israeli state representatives under police escort stormed the cemetery at exactly 12:30 after midnight. The bulldozers along with the excavation and demolition equipment were divided into two groups; one group began with the destruction and excavation of the tombs on the western side of the cemetery, and the other group destroyed and removed graves on the south-eastern side.

Within minutes of these developments, the Al-Aqsa Foundation immediately informed the Arab media of the unfolding events and had gathered a large crew of photographers and journalists on the scene. The Israeli Occupation and their police escort tried to prevent the photographers and journalists from filming or carrying out their professional duties. One of the photographers was attacked by a bulldozer driver who attempted to run him over, however, the journalists and photographers insisted on carrying out their work to document the Israeli crime. During the demolition operation, a quarrel broke out between the police and the representatives of the Israeli state due to the Muslim presence. Al-Hajj Mustafa Abu Zahra, one of the cemetery’s endowment trustees arrived at Ma’man Allah during the destruction and tried to stop the bulldozers from continuing with their crimes; however the police intervened and prevented him from doing so.

It is worth mentioning here that the actions of the Israeli Occupation came after the Al-Aqsa Foundation for Heritage and Endowment and the trustees of the cemetery’s endowment, al-Hajj Sami Rizq Allah Abu Mukh and al-Hajj Mustafa Abu Zahra, had undertaken the restoration, repair and maintenance of hundreds of graves that were at risk of disappearing due to repeated Israeli attacks. However, this does not appear to have satisfied the Israeli authorities.