The Jewish Community in Serbia has condemned a plan to build a shopping centre on the site of the former concentration camp of Topovske Supe in Belgrade.

The land on which the shopping centre was built was acquired a few years ago by Delta, a construction company. Recently, the firm announced a plan to build a shopping centre on the site where up to 450 Jews were killed.

Ruben Fuks, the president of Serbia’s Jewish community, said: “The plan is morally wrong. This place should be kept as an authentic place of memory.”

It emerged that one of the companies behind the project is Israeli architectural firm MYS.

Ami Moore, CEO of MYS, said that the row was of the result of internal political conflicts, and added that his firm had offered to design and fund a memorial to be placed at the entrance of the shopping centre. According to Mr Moore, the company started negotiating with Jewish community leaders in 2005, at which time they voiced no objection to the plan.

“I do not know what has made Ruben Fuks suddenly change his mind, but the use of the Holocaust for political purposes makes my blood boil,” said Mr Moore.