British Philanthropist Fights for Access to Jerusalem Burial Plot

British philanthropist and art collector Professor Sir Naser Khalili has filed a lawsuit in the Jerusalem District Court to secure access to a family burial plot he purchased on the Mount of Olives. Khalili, 81, alleges that the Georgian Community Endowment in Jerusalem, which owns the adjacent plot, plans to replace the existing access path with narrow walkways built over existing graves. Khalili, who was born in Iran and later moved to the UK, is renowned for his extensive collection of 35,000 cultural and art items, including the world's largest private collection of Islamic art. He established the Khalili Foundation in 1989 to foster understanding between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and has received numerous international honors.

According to the lawsuit, Khalili purchased 41 graves in the "Prophets' Section" for his extended family in 1992 from the Sephardic Community's Chevra Kadisha in Jerusalem. Several relatives are already buried there, and the family visits annually. This section contains some of the few remaining empty graves on the Mount of Olives, as burial largely ceased decades ago due to the cemetery being full.

Khalili claims that for over 34 years, his family has used a specific route, referred to as the "full passage way," which includes traversing the Georgian community's plot and a path within the Prophets' Section. This route is described as the only practical and reasonable access to his family's plot. The lawsuit states that a legal easement guaranteeing public right-of-way to the Prophets' Section was registered on the Georgian plot as part of land settlement proceedings.

In February, Khalili was informed by the endowment of their intention to carry out construction, bury new deceased, and obstruct the current access path, replacing it with narrow walkways over existing graves. He states that Chevra Kadisha has not committed to defending the access route, and construction, including concrete pouring and fencing, began in July. Khalili describes the current access as a winding path involving stairs and a crumbling asphalt walkway within the Georgian plot, leading to a stone wall bordering the Prophets' Section, before continuing to his family's graves. He argues that any alternative route would involve a steep, difficult climb between tombstones and rocks, making it nearly impossible for elderly individuals attending funerals or visiting graves.

Khalili is seeking a court declaration of an easement for the existing path, ensuring its continued use, and an injunction against any interference with it. The lawsuit has been filed, and defense statements have not yet been submitted.