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US top diplomat the chief US diplomat has unveiled a controversial historical attraction led by an Jewish settlement organization in occupied East Jerusalem.

The United States' top diplomat was a guest of honour at the launch of the termed "Pilgrim's Path", a underground passage dug under local residences near Jerusalem's Old City.

The inaugural gathering took place at the City of David, a biblical tourism site managed by the Elad settler organisation in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Wadi Hilweh.

Mr Rubio's participation was denounced by local advocacy organizations as giving American support to Israel's "expansionist policies" near Jerusalem's most sensitive holy sites.

Silwan Inhabitants Face Displacement Notices

Residents of the neighborhood have for a long time faced displacement notices and property destructions to make way for Israeli housing projects and the enlargement of the heritage site, according to advocacy organizations. Israeli settlements are illegal under global statutes.

"Among the world's most significant historical discoveries", the Secretary characterized the dig, stating it had deep meaning to Americans in the US. He earlier said he understood "some attempt to politicize the issue"… "But at the end of the day, it's an extraordinary archaeological site".

Palestinian Perspectives

Silwan resident Fakhri Abu Diab, 63, said Mr Rubio was choosing to back extremists in the Tel Aviv administration instead of being on the side of global legal standards.

"He is ignoring our [Palestinian] history", he said. "He isn't visiting when they are demolishing our homes, ethnic cleansing and kicking us out of here".

Mr Abu Diab spoke beside the mangled wreckage of his residence, which was torn down recently at the order of local officials. Officials claims such properties are constructed illegally, but these are almost impossible for local residents to obtain.

Settler Role and Global Reaction

The archaeological park has been operated since the early 2000s by Elad, which has acquired properties, taken over Palestinian homes and pushed for the eviction of residents in the area, as stated in a July report by the a United Nations investigative body.

Ze'ev Orenstein of the City of David told media: "All the archaeological excavations are carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority according to the highest standards". He refused to answer additional inquiries.

The excavation is said to trace the path of a ancient street taken by pilgrims to the site sacred in Judaism as the location of two Biblical temples. According to an Israeli advocacy group, the tunnel extends 0.6 kilometers from the neighborhood, running underneath Palestinian homes and the Old City walls, ending close to the base of the Kotel.

The group called the Secretary's appearance "nothing less than American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the most sensitive part of Jerusalem's Holy Basin". The group added: "[W]hat stands behind its opening is a trampling of Jerusalem as a city sacred to all faiths and belonging to all its residents".