Israel plans to build 'museum of tolerance' on Muslim graves

[splat@14]

By Donald Macintyre in Jerusalem
Published: 09 February 2006
Skeletons are being removed from the site of an ancient Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem to make way for a $150m (£86m) "museum of tolerance" being built for the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

Palestinians have launched a legal battle to stop the work at what was the city's main Muslim cemetery. The work is to prepare for the construction of a museum which seeks the promotion of "unity and respect among Jews and between people of all faiths".

Israeli archaeologists and developers have continued excavating the remains of people buried at the site - which was a cemetery for at least 1,000 years - despite a temporary ban on work granted by the Islamic Court, a division of Israel's justice system. Police have been taking legal advice on whether the order is legally binding. The Israeli High Court is to hear a separate case brought by the Al Aqsa Association of the Islamic Movement in Israel next week.

The project, which a spokesman said had been conceived in partnership with the Jerusalem municipality and the Israeli government, was launched at a ceremony in 2004 by a cast of dignitaries ranging from Ehud Olmert, who is currently the acting Prime Minister, to the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzeneger



Continued....
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article344233.ece

From "The General", JC;
http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/

[BeyondGeography]

1. A museum of tolerance built on insensitivity

Wonderful.

[rucky]

2. Irony alert!

What blatant disrespect. How can they justify this?

[sasha031]

3. it looks like they are trying to pick another fight

it never stops:banghead:

[Oversea Visitor]

4. For god sake get a brain

find another piece of land to acheive objective.
This one here damn sore thumb
Bad bad karma
How stupid you want people to be.

[madrchsod]

5. why doesn`t that surprise me?

the israeli`s have no respect for the palestinians. the silence of the citizen`s speaks volumes yet i can not blame them entirely because they have been terrorized by both sides.

[pocket]

6. their whole country is built on Muslim graves!

literally and figuratively.

[splat@14]

7. Hmmmm....what a thought! n/t

[Coastie for Truth]

10. No - a lot of it is built on Jewish graves

and Jewish and CHRISTIAN gravestones were used to build privies.

[Wordie]

8. Strategy: stir up a reaction, then use it to justify the land grab. eom

[RJnAbbysNana]

9. I'm probably correct to assume that the land in question

belongs to the Palestinians, right? (Nothing new there!)

Well, perhaps we can console ourselves with the fact that the bodies being crushed aren't live ones like that of Rachel Corrie, God rest her soul!

What heartless, mindless butthead planned this atrocity again?

Regards,

RJnAbbysNana

[pelsar]

11. hate to ruin a simplistic view of life..israel the evil

From the article:
Israel is more crowded with ancient artefacts than any other country in the world. If we didn't build on former cemeteries, we would never build."
_________________________
jews also protest building on grave sites: (ultra orthadox)

so its not really an "arab thing"....

"Death threats to archeologists, fires in Antiquities Authority offices, and physical protests at the site of excavations have shut down or delayed numerous building projects, harming Israel's economy"
http://www.irac.org/article_e.asp?artid=37


and the highway 6 had its protests as well for the same reason (jewish graves), as have many other projects.....


NEXT accusation!

[splat@14]

12. No doubt. I'm sure Manhattan was a burial ground at some time

or other, and I'll bet there's a freeway through a civil war battle ground somewhere in Tennessee. No offense was intended. What caught my eye in the article was at the link where it was noted that whole skeletons were dug up. Left me with the impression that the site is an active cemetery. Anyway, if you live (or have lived) there, tell me do they consult or work with all the local population prior to starting construction to ensure that these sort of concerns are addressed....particularly for something that is about to be named a "Museum of Tolerance". Is that even possible?
I did check out the link and appreciate the info.
Thx Pelsar!
Splat!

[Coastie for Truth]

13. Battery Park - Wall Street, etc.

was at various times a Native American Burial Ground and subsequently a Slave (African-American, Caucasian, Indentured Servant) Burial Ground.

Here's a link: and another - and while I have not researched it, there is an article in Duquesne University Law Review about the US law on abaondoned and/or ancient graveyards.

[pelsar]

14. welll....

i too found it rather ironic with the museum of tolerence being built on musiim graves..and in fact i know of at least one parking lot built next ot an old unused musim cemetary with a simple sign saying dont litter....(the israeli govt isnt known for its sensitivity...)

Israel has some pretty fierce laws about antiquities (inclu grave sites) being discovered during constrution, and the companies will then try to hide the discovery since nothing happens until the antiquities comes and does their thing, which can hold things up for months.

The builders/constructions almost never consult the locals, since that can hold things up. The ultra orthadox have a problem with jewish bones even being moved, so they'r always at it with the descration bit and stoning.

Out side of the irony, given the reason for the building, old graves/cemetaries being found and moved have happend before and is really nothing out of the ordinary...like the article said, they're all over the place.....

[barb162]

15. thank you for that info