Israelis build "museum of tolerance" on muslim graveyard

This is like some sick joke.Orwellian.Came across it today in the times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/0611/1224272267874.html

The Mamilla cemetery, a Muslim burial ground since the 7th century, is cited as a prime example of what is happening.

A large section has been bulldozed to clear the land for a Centre for Human Dignity and Museum of Tolerance to be built jointly by the Israeli government and the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Centre.

Already 400 graves dating to the 12th century have been unearthed; an estimated 2,000 earlier graves remain in four layers in a wasteland of smashed and overturned tombstones, where the Islamic trust tasked with its upkeep has been denied access.

Sixty members of the Husseini, Khalidi, Nusseibeh and Dajani families have petitioned the UN Human Rights Council and Unesco, arguing that the project violates Palestinian religious, cultural and human rights and calling for it to be scrapped.

In case the israel apologists argue that its already a carpark heres how that came about

http://realisticbird.wordpress.com/2010/01/29/museum-of-tolerance%E2%80%9D-being-built-on-muslim-cemetery/

An article was published recently in the New Statesman about Israeli plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” on the site of the Mamilla (a corruption of Ma’man Allah) Muslim Cemetery in Jerusalem. “Graveyard Shift”, by Edward Platt, highlighted this latest example of Israel’s sustained attack on the property and religious sites of Palestinian Muslims and Christians in the Holy City. The Mamilla Cemetery is located in western Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the war of 1948. It is the largest Arab cemetery in West Jerusalem and, according to Platt, contains graves dating back 400 years. However, other sources claim that there are much older graves there and that some companions of Prophet Muhammad are buried in the cemetery amongst some of the city’s most notable sheikhs, imams and political and military leaders. Historically it was always considered a great privilege to be buried in Mamilla but it has not been used since its capture by Israel.
Following Israel’s creation in 1948, the Muslim cemeteries, mosques and other waqf properties (those held by Muslim religious endowments and trusts) which fell under its control were either confiscated outright by the new state or placed under the administration of Islamic trusts operating under Israeli supervision. These organisations had no legitimacy among the Muslims who remained inside the boundaries of Israel post-1948 and were staffed with corrupt officials who would simply rubber-stamp the Israeli government’s planning decisions; this usually entailed deconsecrating and selling Muslim sites in accordance with Israel’s wishes. Such sites in Israel have suffered a great deal as a result. The 900 years-old Hittin Mosque built by Salah al-Din (Saladin) has been allowed to fall into ruin; others have been turned into restaurants, bars, nightclubs and animal sheds. One of Israel’s puppet Islamic trusts sold the Abdel Nabi cemetery in what is now Tel Aviv and the Hilton Hotel was built on the site in 1965. A year earlier, another puppet organisation deconsecrated the Mamilla Cemetery and a car park was built over its northern side. This was later demolished and the museum is being built there today. The western half was appropriated by Israel and converted into the “Independence Park”. Today the cemetery is one-tenth of its original size.

And finally heres how the Israeli court ruled to build the museum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Wiesenthal_Center#Criticism

As of February 2010, the Museum of Tolerance's plan for construction has been fully approved by Israeli courts and is proceeding at the compound of Mamilla Cemetery. The courts ruled that the compound had been neglected as a spiritual site by the Muslim community, in effect not functioning as a cemetery for decades (while simultaneously used for other purposes), and was thus mundra, i.e. abandoned, under Muslim laws