The Jerusalem municipality is planning to demolish a mosque in the Beit Safafa neighborhood that was built prior to 1948 and resembles the iconic Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Old City’s Temple Mount compound.
Court documents filed last Wednesday indicated the city had approved the demolition because a floor in the Abdul Rahman mosque was built without a permit, and 700 square meters of the compound were built without certification or approval from licensed engineers – therefore posing a safety risk.
“It (the mosque) symbolizes the fact that there is no law and no enforcement in the State of Israel,” contended nationalist Im Tirtzu project director Yehuda Sharabanay.
Community leader Muhammad Alian told the Ynet news outlet that Beit Safafa is a “calm and quiet neighborhood.” He added that the building is a mosque, “and it should be respected.”