US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has inaugurated a contentious archaeological tourism site led by an Israeli settler group in occupied East Jerusalem.
America's top diplomat was a guest of honor at the opening of the so-called 'Pilgrimage Road', a tunnel excavated under Palestinian homes next to Jerusalem's Old City.
The opening ceremony took place at the City of David, a biblical tourism site operated by the Elad settler organization in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan.
Rubio's presence was condemned by Palestinian rights groups as giving US backing to Israel's 'grip of settlement' close to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy sites.
Residents of Silwan have faced eviction orders and home demolitions to make way for Jewish settlements and the expansion of the archaeological park, according to rights groups. Settlements are illegal under international law.
Rubio described the excavation as 'perhaps one of the most important archaeological sites on the planet', adding that it had deep meaning to people in the United States. He earlier stated his understanding that people want to involve politics in it, but emphasized its extraordinary archaeological significance.
Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, criticized Rubio's stance, accusing him of supporting extremist Israeli policies while neglecting the history and rights of Palestinians. He highlighted the demolitions of homes that residents endure under Israeli authority.
The City of David has operated since the early 2000s by Elad, a settler group accused of appropriating land and pushing for the eviction of Palestinian families in Silwan, according to reports from the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry.
Ze'ev Orenstein, the director of international affairs at the City of David, stated that all excavations comply with the highest standards set by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The excavation is said to mark the route of a Roman-era street taken by pilgrims and extends beneath Palestinian homes toward the Western Wall, significant for both Jews and Muslims.
Peace Now, an Israeli campaign group supporting Palestinian rights, condemned Rubio's visit as American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over a sensitive area of Jerusalem, arguing that it undermines the city’s shared sanctity and belonging.
