Israel issued an order to seize the burial site of Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) — an important religious landmark managed by the Islamic Waqf in the occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities announced the acquisition of 28 acres of land Tuesday. The area includes the Palestinian town of Beit Iksa and the historic Prophet Solomon mosque.
The Civil Administration, a unit under Israel’s Defense Ministry, said the area was being seized for “public interest.”
Israel said it will undertake a development project to preserve the archaeological site of Prophet Solomon’s tomb.
But Palestinian analysts called the move another example of “Judaization.” Solomon is an important prophet in Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions.
During the Byzantine period, Emperor Justinian ordered the construction of a church at the site where Solomon was believed to be buried.
The site sits atop a hill 6 km northwest of Jerusalem, 885 meters above sea level. Muslim rulers later built various structures at the site in memory of Solomon.
The mosque that now stands there preserves architectural features from the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. It contains a tomb that Muslims believe holds the remains of Solomon.
“These are Islamic Waqf [religious endowments], a hereditary waqf of the Alami family,” Khalil Tufakji, an expert on maps, borders, settlements and Jerusalem, told Middle East Eye.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, it has gradually altered the area around the Prophet Solomon shrine.
This includes the construction of a synagogue in the underground chamber where Solomon’s tomb is believed to lie.
Over time, Israeli authorities have reduced the size of the Muslim prayer area and progressively taken control of the site’s structures.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report