Olmert Pro Al Aqsa Mosque Excavations

Olmert Pro Al Aqsa Mosque Excavations

By Mohammed Mar'i*

The Arab Palestinians inside Israel protested for the third day the Israeli excavations At Al Magharbah Gate of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem although thousands of Israeli police and border guards deployed in the Old City to prevent access to the area.

The Grand Mufti of Palestine Mohammed Hussein and the Director of Wakf in Jerusalem Adnan Al Husseini were prevented from interring the area of excavations. Hussein called the "Arab and Islamic world to protect Al Aqsa Mosque".

Hundreds of Arab Palestinian from across Israel arrived at Al Magharbah Gate in Jerusalem Thursday in protest to the Israeli excavations taking place near the Gate. The protesters claimed that Sheikh Raad Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic movement, also plans on arriving, despite a restraining order received Wednesday that bars him from coming within 150 meters of the Old City for 10 days. "We oppose the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque," said a protester. "It hurts Muslim pride, the world, and Israel. The works could cause the situation in the whole region to deteriorate and even intensify the intifada." Israeli police prevented Palestinian girl students from reaching their Aqsa Secondary School and denied the access of al-Aqsa guards and employees to the Mosque.

Zahi Njaidat, a spokesman for the Islamic Movement said "we came to protest the excavations. The path to Al Magharbah Gate is 800 years old and it's only Muslim, not Jewish." "The current works are a continuation of previous works whose sole purpose was to draw a line on the ground. We suspect that the goal of the current works is to declare Al-Aqsa to be a synagogue," he added. Mohammed Ighbariyyah from Um Al Fahim inside Israel said that "Al-Aqsa belongs to the whole Arab world, we want to be respected".

The Islamic Movement is planning a large rally in Nazareth on Friday. Njaidat said that "We invited all of the Arab public in Israel to unify around the issue and express our rage about the works. "We call on the Muslim and Arab world to unite on this issue and hope that the Israel government will order a stop to them," the Movement added.

The Islamic Chief Judge in Palestine Shaikh Tayseer Al-Tamimi called for a 'day of outrage' across the Muslim world on Friday in protest against the excavations carried out by the Israel at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Tamimi demanded in a press release from all Arab and Muslim leaders to demonstrate in condemnation against the Israeli violations of the area of Al-Magharbah Gate and other Islamic buildings in the old city of Jerusalem that date back to the Mamluk era. He condemned all aggressions committed by the Israeli authorities in the area of the Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall) including the digging of tunnels and the attempts to build synagogues. He said all such provocative excavations jeopardize the Al-Aqsa Mosque which is the third holiest site for Muslims worldwide.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office, in response to a written request by Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz that the work at Al Magharbah Gate be halted immediately, said that the work on the new bridge to the Al Aqsa Compound would not harm holy sites. "As to the matter at hand," the statement said, "the restoration of the Al Magharbah ascent after the place collapsed and was declared a dangerous structure was done in complete coordination with all parties, including foreign countries, relevant Muslim officials and international bodies. As has been explained, this work is being carried on outside the Temple Mount (Al Aqsa Mosque Compound), and they (the excavations) do not constitute any damage to the Mount (Al Aqsa Mosque Compound) or Islamic holy places," the Office said.

Peretz said in his letter that the excavations "was causing considerable damage and would create foment in the Arab world, particularly at the present time, with Israel trying to initiate steps to calm things down with the Palestinians and the Arab world".

Besides Peretz, other Israeli Knesset members called Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert to halt excavations at Al Aqsa Mosque. Avshalom Vilan of Israeli Meretz party called for a halt of Jerusalem excavations. "The prime minister must stop being stubborn and stop the works at Al Magharbah Gate for now, in order not to cause a needless intifada and to allow the political processes in Mecca and other places in the world to come to fruition," he said.
Israel plans to install security cameras at the Al Magharbah Gate excavation site which will broadcast direct footage of the construction. The Israeli Army Radio reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to the initiative, proposed by the Israeli Knesset member Yisrael Hasson of Israel Beiteinu, who said the move would "prove to the countries in the Arab world that no damage is being done to [the] mosques as a result of the excavation."
*Mohammed Mar'i is a freelance Palestinian journalist based in Ramallah, Occupied Palestine. He can be reached at mmaree63@gmail.com