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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Palestinians clash with Israeli forces over work at Hebron’s Tomb of Patriarchs |
| 2021-08-14 |
| [IsraelTimes] Construction to make the holy site handicap accessible began Monday; plan includes elevator, bridge and path connecting parking lot to site Paleostinians briefly clashed with Israeli forces in Hebron on Friday over construction at the Tomb of the Patriarchs to make the site handicap accessible. Photos showed Israeli Border Police troops firing stun and teargas grenades into a crowd of Paleostinians that arrived to demonstrate near the site. Construction at the holy site began on Monday. On Thursday, local mosques in Hebron called upon Paleostinians to show up for Friday prayers and a demonstration at the site, according to media reports. There were no reports of serious injuries amid the clash which occurred following Friday prayers outside the site. Police made no immediate statement on the festivities. Last month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved the long-awaited plan to make the site accessible for the disabled — both Israeli and Paleostinian worshippers. "The Tomb of the Patriarchs is a sacred and historic site, and in the 21st century it is impossible for such an important site for Jews and Moslems not to be accessible to all populations, regardless of religion, race, or gender," Gantz said at the time. The site, holy to both Jews and Moslems, is accessible now only by its iconic stairs. The $1.4 million project includes an elevator, a path to reach the entrance from the parking area, and a bridge connecting the elevator to the entrance. The Hebron municipality and the Waqf, which oversees Moslem holy sites in the Paleostinian territories, have objected to what they described as the expropriation of Paleostinian land for the project. In order to carry out the construction work on the site, the military’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories issued a land acquisition order last year, the Walla news site reported. Some have accused Israel of violating agreements between it and the Paleostinians, as the Paleostinian Authority was the planning authority for the site. Related: Tomb of the Patriarchs: 2021-06-17 Palestinian hurls explosive at IDF soldiers, is shot — army Tomb of the Patriarchs: 2020-06-20 Palestinians object to 'politicized' elevator at Tomb of Patriarchs Tomb of the Patriarchs: 2020-01-24 Palestinian man held at Hebron holy site after police find knife in his pants |
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