OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
The Jerusalem Governorate condemned the recent storming and vandalism of Bab al-Rahma Cemetery by extremist Israeli settlers, calling it part of Israel’s systematic efforts to Judaize the city and erase its Islamic and Christian heritage. It urged the international community and UN organizations to act swiftly to stop these violations and safeguard Jerusalem’s sacred sites and Islamic cemeteries.
In a statement on Tuesday, the governorate said that settlers stormed the cemetery, located adjacent to the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and desecrated several Muslim graves, smashing gravestones in a new act of aggression aimed at erasing the city’s Palestinian identity.
The statement emphasized that Bab al-Rahma Cemetery is an entirely Islamic burial ground containing the graves of prominent early Muslim figures, including companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) such as Ubadah ibn al-Samit and Shaddad ibn Aws, as well as others who took part in the liberation of Jerusalem during the Caliph Umar’s era and later in the Ayyubid period. Any assault on the cemetery, the governorate said, is an attack on history, identity, and Islamic sanctities.
The governorate added that the cemetery has been subjected for years to repeated violations, including the blowing of the shofar, performing Talmudic rituals, and desecration of graves, alongside encroachments by the Israeli municipality, which has seized parts of the cemetery, banned burials, and converted sections into so-called “biblical parks.” It also warned that the Israeli authorities continue to push ahead with dangerous Judaization projects, such as the controversial cable-car project.
The Jerusalem Governorate stressed that the occupation authorities provide full protection to settlers during their incursions and ritual performances inside the cemetery, in line with a broader policy aimed at seizing the site and imposing a new reality around Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It asserted that the repeated violations against Bab al-Rahma Cemetery and occupied Jerusalem as a whole constitute war crimes under international law, forming part of a systematic campaign of cultural and religious cleansing.
The governorate concluded by urging the international community and global organizations to hold Israel accountable for its repeated violations, implement international resolutions guaranteeing Palestinians’ right to live freely and with dignity in their capital, Jerusalem, and put an end to all Judaization attempts targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Higher Fatwa Council also called for immediate action to protect Bab al-Rahma Cemetery, following settlers’ assaults and desecration of graves. The council reiterated that the cemetery is purely Islamic and home to the graves of the Prophet’s companions and early Muslims, warning that Israel’s actions aim to erase the Arab and Islamic landmarks of the city and turn the site into a so-called “biblical park.”
