Wiesenthal Center: cemetery twist

Muslims living in pre-state Israel had plans to build a business center on top of Jerusalem’s Mamilla cemetery, the planned site of a museum, the Simon Wiesenthal Center claimed.

The Wiesenthal Center last week called opposition to its plan to build a Museum of Tolerance near the ancient Muslim cemetery “full hypocrisy” after the unearthing of an article from a 1945 Palestine Post announcing the then–Moslem Council’s plans.

Islam has many precedents for using a Muslim cemetery for the public interest, the article said.

Construction of the museum has been delayed since the 2004 groundbreaking. — jta