Dig Near Temple Mount Stirs Tensions

By Tzippe Barrow

CBN News - Jerusalem Bureau

February 6, 2007

CBNNews.com – JERUSALEM – The Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City is probably the single most disputed piece of real estate in the world. A new archeological dig there is stirring tension in the already volatile region.

The dig is required by Israeli law before any major construction project can take place. The government plans on building a permanent replacement for a bridge near the site that collapsed a few years ago in a heavy snow storm.

The bridge is used by Christians and Jews to enter the Temple Mount via the Mugrabi Gate. Israeli police also use it when they’re called in to quell riots on the Temple Mount, which usually occur on Fridays when Moslems gather there to pray.

Tuesday, following threats of terrorist attacks inside Israel, police fanned out throughout Arab-populated East Jerusalem, where they ducked rocks thrown by rioting youth at several locations.

Police were able to disburse the crowds with no injuries. Eleven youth were taken into custody for questioning.

At a press conference held Tuesday by the Israel Antiquities Authority near the site, archaeologist Yuval Baruch showed reporters that the work is nowhere near the Temple Mount. “This is false information,” said Baruch.

“The excavations are being conducted under the open sky and are open to everyone,” he said. “Anyone who wants can come and observe the excavations, which are coordinated with all the official bodies.”

The History

The Temple Mount came back under Israeli sovereignty in the Six Day War.

At that time, Israel took responsibility for security on the Temple Mount, but turned over the day-to-day administration of the property to the Waqf (Moslem trust).

The government set about refurbishing the plaza in front of the Western Wall. Actually a retaining wall, it is the only remaining vestige of the Temple.

There have been numerous riots on the Temple Mount over the years. Moslems have pitched rocks at the Jews worshipping at the Western Wall below them.

For Jews, it is the holiest site in their beloved city. They face toward the Temple Mount during prayer. The Bible says that Abraham offered his son Isaac here.

Islamic tradition claims that the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven from the Temple Mount, so they call it Islam’s third holiest site, following Mecca and Medina. Thus the threat and reality of uprisings throughout the years.

The Threat

“I have a stern warning for the enemy,” said exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal at a press conference in Damascus. “Sharon’s desecration of the Aksa sparked the 2000 uprising,” he said.

The al-Aksa intifada was the name given to the armed uprising that followed then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in the fall 2000.

In August 2001, when Israel closed the Orient House, the PA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem because of the rash of suicide bombings in the city, they discovered ample evidence that the intifada was planned long before Sharon’s visit.

Prior to that, in September 1996, fierce rioting took place when then Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu opened the northern gate at the end of the Western Wall tunnel so tourists wouldn’t have to retrace their steps to exit the tunnel.

That minor project didn’t involve a new archaeological dig, nor did it go underneath the Temple Mount or affect the Moslem holy places in any way. The tunnel had been opened to tourists for many years. But it was enough of an excuse to riot.

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