Jerusalem municipality employees could not believe their eyes when they arrived one early morning, about two months ago, to the ancient Muslim cemetery in the capital's Independence Park.

A few days earlier, city officials in coordination with local Muslim leadership decided to fence the vicinity in order to make it easier to restore the site, which was neglected and rundown.

However, the employees were stunned to discover 250 new tombstones scattered among the old graves - some dating back to the Crusaders and ancient Muslim periods.

"The tombstones are identical in size and shape, and are easily distinguishable," said Dimitry, who works in the area.

Municipality employees removed 150 of the fictitious tombstones, most of which had nothing underneath them but weeds and dirt.

However, when representatives of the Islamic Movement learned that the tombstones were being removed, they appealed to the court and requested an injunction against their removal, claiming it was a sacred site.

The court rejected the appeal twice. At the third hearing, hundreds of Muslims showed up at the courtroom.

"The atmosphere was quite scary," one of the participants said. "Eventually, the judge suspended the removal of the tombstones until a final verdict is issued. We're still waiting for the verdict. This issue is as explosive as dynamite."

"Placing the tombstones there is part of the Islamic Movement's attempt to take over the state-owned land," said Israel Land Administration Spokeswoman Ortal Tzabar in an official statement...