This article was originally published by the Ma'an News Agency and is republished with permission.

The Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam, in Jerusalem. (Luay Sababa, Maan Images)

The Israeli government has a secret plan to surround the Old City of Jerusalem with parks, tourist attractions and hiking trails in a bid to consolidate its occupation of area, which began in June of 1967.

The organization Ir Amim (City of Nations), dedicated to promoting coexistence in Jerusalem, released a report on the plan on Sunday, on the eve of the Pope's visit to the city.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the plan, which was developed in 2008 by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the mayor of Jerusalem, has been a secret until now, and was not subject to any form of public scrutiny.

Ir Amim says the plan "integrates with statutory program 11555, approved by the Jerusalem Municipality in November 2007, which was designed to accelerate development in one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. The array of escalators, cable cars and tunnels included in the plan portend blatant signs of a biblical playground populated by settler organizations." Of course, the plan can only be established by expelling the Palestinian residents of the areas in question.

The overall goal of the plan is to cement Israeli hegemony in East Jerusalem, as it is "inspired by extreme right-wing Zionist ideology."

The report's release comes only a few months after the Israeli-controlled Jerusalem Municipality renewed orders to demolish 88 houses in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, threatening more than 1,500 residents with homelessness. The Jerusalem Municipality, roundly criticized by the international community, has refused to back down, vowing to transform the neighborhood into a park.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank in June 1967. Israel later annexed the eastern half of the city, declaring the whole of Jerusalem its "eternal, undivided capital." Though Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community, Israel has sliced the city off from the West Bank with its 30-foot high concrete separation wall, and moved tens of thousands of settlers into the annexed zone.