A private Israeli organization which promotes settlement building in East Jerusalem is planning to build a bridge between a visitors center in Silwan and the Old City, a local group said Tuesday.
Settler group Elad is planning the construction to link the City Of David Visitors Center in Silwan to al-Buraq square, where the Haram al-Sharif or Temple Mount compound lies, the Islamic-Christian Committee for Protecting Jerusalem and the Holy Sites said."Al-Buraq square is not the only Israeli project that is targeting holy places in Jerusalem. There are dozens of Israeli projects aimed to Judaize Jerusalem, and these projects are implemented in secrecy," secretary-general Hanna Issa said.Silwan -- adjacent to the Old City's Dome of the Rock compound and Western Wall -- is populated by a number of settler homes under heavy Israeli guard, and the site of frequent clashes with forces on arrest raids targeting the Palestinian population.