Haifa Magistrate’s Court halts demolition at Sheikh Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Cemetery

Haifa Magistrate’s Court has issued a precautionary order halting demolition and vandalism at Sheikh Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Cemetery in Nesher, east of Haifa. The site is located on the ruins of the depopulated Palestinian village of Sheikh.

The decision followed a petition filed against an Israeli company claiming ownership of part of the cemetery, where work had been carried out under Israeli police protection.

The court set 4 May for a further hearing to examine evidence from both the Haifa Waqf and the company.

Read: Israel continues demolition of Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem

Demolition work began last week, with reports of bulldozers covering graves in sections of the cemetery. The work was halted after residents and activists from Haifa, Tamra, Kabul and surrounding areas intervened to stop it.

Khaled Daghash, administrator of the Haifa Waqf, said that the order represented “a first legal step” towards ending the ongoing violations at the site.

Daghash added that both parties would attend the upcoming hearing, stressing that public engagement could influence the course of the proceedings.