Israel 'destroyed' Islamic archaeological sites in Silwan dig

The authority recently began the final stage of archaeological excavations at the site, which is located in the Wadi Silweh area only 20 meters from the walls of the Old City, the foundation said in a statement on Tuesday.

As a result of the excavations, several ancient Islamic archeological sites and antiquities have been destroyed, including a cemetery that dated back to the Abbasid caliphate.

Additionally, the dig has damaged relics that date back to the Jebusite Canaanite era in the second millenium BC, the Al-Aqsa foundation alleged.

The excavations are the continuation of an Israeli project to build a biblical park in the area alongside the City of David archaeological park, and will feature a "museum of Jewish history" and a "Jewish national park.

" In 1967, Israel demolished the 800-year-old Moroccan Quarter of al-Quds ('Jerusalem'), displacing 650 Palestinians and destroying numerous mosques, homes, and holy sites, in order to build a plaza in front of the Western Wall.

Israel also evicted around 6,000 Palestinians from nearby areas in order to massively expand the city's historical Jewish Quarter.

The internationally recognized Palestinian territories of which the West Bank and East al-Quds ('Jerusalem') form a part have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967.