Israel goes after Turkish projects in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Municipality destroyed a plaque marking Turkey’s contribution to the restoration of a cemetery in the city as Israeli concerns over the Turkish activities in East Jerusalem persist.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — On June 24, the Israeli police and a team from the Jerusalem Municipality demolished a stone plaque bearing the Turkish flag and the emblem of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Jerusalem. The stone plaque had been placed there to mark Turkey’s contribution to a restoration project for the city’s Yusufiye Cemetery.
Yusufiye Cemetery, which is affiliated with the Islamic Waqf and adjacent to the Old City wall, is well known in Jerusalem and hundreds of years old. It was restored with the support of Turkey via TIKA, but Israeli police claim that no license was issued for the plaque to be placed.
