Israel turns cemetery into car park

Arab member of the Israeli Knesset, MP Ahmed al-Taybi slammed Israel's desecration of the Majdal Cemetery in Ashkelon and its subsequent conversion into a parking lot. Al-Taybi told Arabstoday: "This action represents disregard for Muslims and their religious and humanitarian values". Al-Taybi described the decision as a further step in Israel's racist policy towards Arabs, citing a similar desecration of Maaman Allah Cemetery in Jerusalem. In the same context, representative of al-Aqsa Institution for Endowments and Heritage, Abdelmajeed Aghbariyih, has revealed that three donams (3000 sq metres) of the cemetery's area was unofficially converted to a parking lot. "We dispute this action whether it is on a temporary basis or not. We earlier reached an agreement with Ashkelon's Municipality to plant olive trees along the cemetery's edges and prohibit cars to park there. This agreement will be sent to the Knesset next week, following the end of the Passover vacation", Said Aghbariyih. The Arab member of Knesset, MP Jamal Zahalqa said "After a new market was established close to the cemetery, the market clients started to use the cemetery's forecourt to park their cars, not taking into account the sacredness of the place, and the Israeli authorities have done nothing to stop this". The Islamic cemetery of Ashkelon was used by the city's Arab population before they were deported by the occupation in the early nineteen fifties. The cemetery's total area is about 45 donams (donam = 1000 m²), and there are dozens of tombs still remaining in it.