Hanna Issa, Secretary-General of the Islamic Christian Authority for Patronizing Jerusalem and Holy Sites, has warned of an Israeli plan to convert the occupied city of Jerusalem into a central Jewish city during the coming years.

In addition to building more settlement units in different areas of Jerusalem, the Israeli occupation authority persistently carries out measures aimed at Judaizing the Aqsa Mosque and turning it into a museum and underground tunnels, Issa said in press remarks on Sunday.

He described the grave Israeli violations against the historic, religious and cultural sites in Jerusalem as “aggression against the cultural and civilizational heritage of the holy city and a gross infringement on the international law.”

“The rules of international law pertaining the military occupation of Jerusalem only allow limited powers that enable the occupation authorities to run the territory under their control, and this implies the invalidity of any legislative and administrative measures taken by these authorities to change the status quo in the occupied territory, and this naturally applies to the situation in Jerusalem,” Issa said.