From The Israel-Palestine Centre for Research and Information - a joint Israeli and Palestinian public policy think tank - www.ipcri.org

A Museum of Tolerance built on top of a Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem ? Hard to Believe?

It must be stopped!!!!

Join the Campaign

October 29, 2008

Can you even imagine the possibility of the State of Israel and the Jerusalem municipality building a Museum of Tolerance on the site of a Muslim Cemetery in the heart of Jerusalem ? Well it is happening. We tried to fight it in court but we lost. Imagine what would happen if someone in Europe - in Germany or Austria for instance, tried to build a Museum of Tolerance on top of Jewish graves.

The legal battle has been lost, now we must move on to the political battle. We must prevent this museum from being built on that site. Jerusalem will never be a city of peace if this is allowed to move forward.

Jerusalem is the one city in the world where there is a real potential to demonstrate that Jews, Christians and Muslims can live together in peace, understanding and real tolerance. Jerusalem is the place where we can learn to celebrate the diversities of our civilizations. If the construction of this museum is allowed to resume on top of a Muslim cemetery of religious and historical importance in the center of Jerusalem , this Holy city, will never realize its potential.

For the peace of Jerusalem , for the chance of peace, understanding and tolerance between Jews, Muslims and Christians we must stop this dangerous act.

We call on the Government of Israel and the Municipality of Jerusalem to stop the construction of the Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance in name of public safety and in protection of the reputation of the State of Israel and the safety of Jews all around the world.

We call on Jerusalemites, Israelis and Palestinians to join our campaign.

We call on the candidates for Mayor of Jerusalem and for the Jerusalem City Council to speak out during the remaining days of the campaign – promise us that you won’t let this Museum be built in the Mamilla Cemetery .

We call on the Chief Rabbis of Israel not to let this shame on Judaism take place. In the name of Judaism, do not allow this Museum to built on top of Muslim graves.

We call on Israelis and Palestinians alike to send letters to your Presidents, Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers urging them to stop the construction of the Museum in that location.

We call on Jews all over to write to the Wiesenthal Center Director Rabbi Hier urging him to change the location of the Museum. We urge Jews everywhere to write to the Government of Israel voice your objection to building a Museum of Tolerance on top of Muslim graves.

We call on Rabbis around the world to join the campaign. We are looking for several Rabbis who will coordinate organizing a Rabbis letter against the building of the Museum over Muslim graves.

We call on citizens of the world to join the campaign – raise your voices, - write to your own governments urging them to pressure the Israeli government to cease the construction of the Museum in that location.

Useful addresses and contacts:

President Marvin Hier, Dean, Wiesenthal Center
Fax: ++1-310-553-4521
email: information@wiesenthal.net

President Shimon Peres
Fax: ++972-2-567-1314
email: president@president.gov.il

Prime Minister Olmert
Fax: +972-2-670-5475
email: pmo.heb@it.pmo.gov.il

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni
Fax: ++972-2-530-3367
email: sar@mfa.gov.il

Mayor of Jerusalem
Fax: ++972-2-629-6014
email: mankal@jerusalem.muni.il

Sfardi Chief Rabbi of Israel , Rabbi Shlomo Amar
Fax: ++972-2-537-1305
email: rabbis@rabbinate.gov.il

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel , Rabbi
Fax: ++972-2-537-7872
email: rabbia@rabbinate.gov.il

President Mahmoud Abbas
Fax: ++972-2-240-9648

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Fax: ++972-2- 295-0970

Foreign Minister Riad Malki
Fax: ++970-2-240-3372 or ++972-2-240-3372
email: mofapal@gmail.com

The following is some factual information about the issue:

ISRAEL’S SUPREME COURT RULES CENTER FOR HUMAN DIGNITY-MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE JERUSALEM CAN BUILD ON WEST JERUSALEM SITE

The Israeli High Court of Justice has ruled that the building of the Museum is legal and the construction can continue. In February 2006 the High Court issued an injunction for freezing the construction. Since that time the Court has been considering the evidence presented for and against building the Museum. The decision of the Court places the burden on the Muslim Authorities to accept the “offers” made to them by the Wiesenthal Center to move the graves that will be affected by the building the Museum. The Muslim Authorities rejected all of the offers and claimed that the sanctity of the whole cemetery must be respected. In the initial groundbreaking and first construction some 300 skeletons were dug up and “boxed” by the Israeli Antiquities Authorities.

Furthermore, the Court rejected the claims by some experts (supported by IPCRI and others against the building of the Museum) and in favor of other experts brought by the Wiesenthal Center, that the construction of the Museum would not lead to a disruption of public order and that the Arab and Muslim world would accept the construction of the Museum as they had accepted the construction of the parking lot over part of the Museum in the mid 1960’s.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1225199598269&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Tens of thousands illegally built Arab homes in E. Jerusalem to get water service
By Jonathan Lis
Haaretz, 04/11/2008
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1034147.html

Tens of thousands of illegally built Arab homes in East Jerusalem will be connected to water for the first time, the ministerial committee on the non-Jewish sector decided on Sunday.

Representatives of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which raised the issue, had told the committee that the severe shortage of water was leading to major hygiene problems.

The decision will affect an estimated 160,000 people living in homes built without proper permits from the city. According to the municipal water company, Hagihon, out of some 250,000 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, only about 85,000 (some 16,000 homes) are connected to the water system. The other 160,000, who built their homes illegally, and not connected to the system, but in practice, many of them have connected their homes to water mains or their neighbors` pipelines.

`If many residents are in any case pirating water, the new decision will allow the state to charge them money to connect to the water system legally,` a source in the Interior Ministry said.

According to the Planning and Construction Law, water can only be supplied to buildings with permits. However, the Interior Ministry and the Jerusalem municipality have not issued building permits in East Jerusalem since 1967 [that is: not to Arabs-ed]. Therefore, said the director of the Interior Ministry`s water administration, it should be possible to define all the buildings in East Jerusalem as `exceptions to the law,` which would enable them to be connected to the city`s water system.

The Justice Ministry will soon prepare proposals on how Sunday`s decision should be implemented. One possibility is issuing a temporary order declaring the buildings to be exceptions.

National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who chairs the ministerial committee that made the decision, said: `Human beings cannot live without water, electricity and bread. The situation in East Jerusalem has led to many pirate connections, damage to water quality, and also to the loss of much water, which is so precious to Israel, especially at this time.`

bz