Protest in court
Cries of Allah Akbar in Tel Aviv courtroom
Angry that the last Muslim cemetery in Jaffa region was sold to land developer in 1973, friends, relatives of the dead, cause disturbance in court prompting judge to leave; Developer purchased land from Waqf, approved by state appointed trustees.
At a Tel Aviv District Court hearing on the future of a Muslim cemetery Wednesday afternoon, cries of “Allah Akbar” and chants of “With our spirit and blood we will redeem al-Aqsa” were heard.
The angry court audience held signs saying: “Your honor, what about respect for the dead?” Justice Hagai Brenner left the courtroom when the shouting began and the session ended.
Jaffa residents shout in court
Dozens of Jaffa residents were present at the hearing on the future of the future of the Tasso Muslim cemetery situated near the Tel Kabir neighborhood of Holon. They protested inside the courtroom the decision to exhume graves that were found on the site after some of the land was purchased by developers in 1973.
Angry Jaffa Muslims in court over cemetery
Since then, the legal saga has been ongoing until recently when documents were submitted to the court petitioning for the land to be cleared and the owners compensated for use of 41 dunams after the land purchase.
The owners of the land sought to enter the cemetery to take measurements but were strongly opposed by the administrators of the cemetery and families of the dead who prevented their entry.
Jaffa Muslim cemetery (Photo: Tal Shimoni)
The petitioners, representing the land owners, Ezra Hamami, Dan Abas and Yossi Hasson Investments, are asking the court for payment for the use of their land. Simultaneously, Justice Idit Berkowitz will hear parts of the case in March at the Tel Aviv court.
Part of the land was purchased from the Muslim Waqf (religious trust) by Yossi Hasson Investments in 1973; the sale was confirmed by the High Court. Last year, the land owners asked the court to instruct for the graves to be removed and to receive compensation for use of the land since its purchase.
"What about respect for the dead?"
Some Jaffa residents present at the hearing said: “We will not remain silent; we will organize a public campaign that will continue until they cease all attempts to gain control of the land.”
Former Tel Aviv councilmember and a protest leader Ahmed Masharawi said: “Out of the blue, the Muslim residents of Jaffa discovered that the cemetery was sold discreetly and since then we are fighting this campaign.”
Ahmed continued: “Gradually, Muslim property in the city is disappearing and we will increase the pressure. We are working in the Knesset as well and have no intention of giving up on the land and on of respect for the dead. We will go out and protest because there is a lot of anger at Mayor Huldai and the municipality for not interfering enough. This matter is a powder keg; people will not allow the graves to be touched.”
The Jaffa Waqf claims that those preventing entry to the land owners are not its staff but rather the families of those buried at the site.
