Israeli dig sparks protests
Ismail Haniya says the excavation work will cause “direct harm” to al-Aqsa mosque.
The excavation work, just outside the site known as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims and as the Temple Mount to Jews, is to ensure that renovation work to construct a pedestrian bridge to replace a ramp leading up to the complex does not damage any archaeological artifacts found at the site, officials said.
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Part of the old stone walkway collapsed a few years ago, making it unsafe for people to use.
Gideon Avni, the director of excavations and surveys at Israel’s Antiquities Authority, said: “The ramp itself is a very unstable area. It has been declared a dangerous area.
“There is no way on earth that the work can cause damage to the outer wall of the Temple Mount and absolutely not to any existing monument within the Temple Mount.”
Aware that the work is likely to inflame tensions, Israeli police had already restricted access to the site, preventing tourists and Palestinian men under the age of 45 from entering.
Ali Ayed, Jordan’s ambassador to Israel, told state-run Petra news agency: “Jordan has informed Israel of its strong condemnation for the work being carried out by Israel in the Dung Gate area of al-Aqsa mosque.
“This protest and condemnation are based on the religious responsibility Jordan has over the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.”
‘Radical emotions’
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“… Muslims fear it is part of a plan by Israel to destroy the Islamic heritage of the old city” Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera correspondent |
Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said: “The activities being carried out do not harm … and will not harm any of the holy places.”
In January 2007, Israel revealed a project to set up a synagogue next to the al-Aqsa mosque’s Dome of the Rock.
In February 2004, excavation works carried out by Israeli authorities led to the collapse of a part of the path leading to al-Maghareba Gate, one of the mosque’s main entrances.
The Israeli government has been conducting exploratory excavation works underneath the al-Aqsa mosque since 1969.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said: “The Israelis call this a salvage excavation. They say they will preserve whatever archeological remains are uncovered. But Muslims fear it is part of a plan by Israel to destroy the Islamic heritage of the old city.”