|
Trending Topics
|
France Demands Sovereignty over the Tombs of the Kings in Jerusalem
(Israel Hayom) Ariel Kahana - The ancient compound known as the Tombs of the Kings in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah has been under the administration of the French Consulate for the past 150 years owing to international agreements dating back to the Ottoman period. Scholars believe the tombs date back to the Second Temple Period. The French Consulate has claimed the site cannot be reopened until its renovations there are completed, but Israeli authorities note that the renovations appear to have been going on for about a decade. According to sources at the Israel Foreign Ministry, France wants Israel to recognize French sovereignty over the site, a demand that Israel has rejected.