Temple Mount cable replacement controversy
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The Temple Mount cable replacement controversy began in July 2007 when the Waqf Muslim religious trust which administers the Temple Mount began digging a 400-metre-long, 1.5-metre-deep trench [1] from the northern side of the Temple Mount compound to the Dome of the Rock [2] in order to replace 40-year-old [3] electric cables in the area.
The site is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. Archaeological finds show that the remains of the temples are beneath the mosque compound. [4]
The dig, carried out by the Jerusalem Electricity Company, was approved by the Israeli police, but the Israel Antiquities Authority declined to comment whether it had approved the excavations.
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[edit] View of Israeli archaeologists
The Waqf has been accused of a deliberate act of cultural vandalism. The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount criticized the use of a tractor for excavation at the Temple Mount "without real, professional and careful archaeological supervision involving meticulous documentation".
Archaeologist Eilat Mazar said: “There is disappointment at the turning of a blind eye and the ongoing contempt for the tremendous archaeological importance of the Temple Mount…” [2] “…Using heavy machinery and with little documentation, can damage ancient relics and erase evidence of the presence of the biblical structures. Any excavation, even if for technical reasons, must be documented, photographed and the dirt sifted for any remains of relics.” [4]
Dr Gavriel Barkai slammed the way the excavations were being carried out stating that “They should be using a toothbrush, not a bulldozer”. [5] He maintains that “some man-worked stones have been found in the trench…as well as remnants of a wall that, according to all our estimations, are from a structure in one of the outer courtyards in the Holy Temple.” [1]
Archaeologist Zachi Zweig said a tractor used to dig the trench damaged the foundation of a 7-yard-wide wall "that might have been a remnant of the Second Temple." [3]
[edit] View of the Waqf
Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Muhammad Ahmad Hussein rejected the Israeli charges. "We don't harm the antiquities, we are the ones who are taking care of the antiquities, unlike others who destroy them.” [3]
Yusuf Natsheh of the Islamic Waqf dismissed the claims, saying “the area has been dug many times” and argued that “remains unearthed would be from the 16th or 17th century Ottoman period”. He said that the work was urgently needed to maintain the al-Aqsa compound as an important religious institution. “We regret some Israeli groups try to use archaeology to achieve political ends, but their rules of archaeology do not apply to the Haram; it is a living religious site in an occupied land.” [5]
[edit] Access to TV crew denied
Waqf guards backed up by the Israeli police have been reported to prevent media from reaching the site. Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute reported that his camera was confiscated before he was allowed to visit the site. Richman charged the Waqf with "trying to erase Jewish vestiges from the Temple Mount." [1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Fendel, Hillel (September 9, 2007). Silence in the Face of Continued Temple Mount Destruction. Arutz Sheva. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
- ^ a b Rapoport, Meron (July 7, 2007). Waqf Temple Mount excavation raises archaeologists' protests. Haaretz. Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ a b c Teible, Amy (August 31, 2007). Jerusalem Holy Site Dig Questioned. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
- ^ a b El Deeb, Sarah (August 29, 2007). Dig at Jerusalem Site Brings Ire. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
- ^ a b Asser, Martin (August 28, 2007). Israeli anger over holy site work. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
