27 November 2008
Turkey has warned Israel over plans for the construction of a museum in Jerusalem on a site that is now a Muslim cemetery in which companions of the Prophet Muhammad are buried.
A top Israeli court’s recent ruling giving the go-ahead for the construction of the “Museum of Tolerance” has led to tension in the region and is likely to spark reaction from Muslims around the world. Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy was recently summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Turkish diplomats explained Ankara’s stance on the issue, while Turkish Ambassador to Israel Namık Tan conveyed Ankara’s uneasiness over the plan during a meeting with Israeli Foreign Ministry officials. “Everyone should avoid actions that may lead to new tensions in the region,” Levy was told at the meeting on Nov. 14, as the Turkish side underlined the delicacy of the Middle East peace process. Ankara has been careful in its warning’s wording due to its mediation efforts between Israel and Syria, sources said. “We have been following the issue very closely,” Foreign Minister Ali Babacan told reporters late on Tuesday.
Earlier this month the Palestinian ambassador to Turkey asked for the Turkish government’s help after the court decision was issued, rejecting an appeal against the construction plans.
Palestinian Ambassador to Turkey Nabil Maarouf described the museum plan as “a typical Israeli attack.” Citing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s harsh reaction against Israeli archaeological work near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Haram al-Sharif complex — the third most important site in Islam — Maarouf urged Ankara to assist in stopping the project. Israeli Embassy officials in Ankara, however, said no political interference into a judicial ruling was possible.
Israel’s Supreme Court ruled late last month that it would not block the construction since no objections had been lodged in 1960, when the city put a parking lot over a small section of the graveyard. The museum is sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based Jewish organization, and is intended to bring the city’s divided residents together. The court sought to address religious demands for respecting the dead by giving the project 60 days to reach an agreement with the state-run Antiquities Authority over plans for either removing the human remains for reburial or installing a barrier between the museum’s foundation and the ground below to avoid disturbing the graves.
Source: www.todayszaman.com, 27 November 2008