Illegal Temple
Mount construction continues : Destruction described as devastating
(IsraelWire-6/28) Prime Minister Ehud Barak has
ordered a meeting to discuss the ongoing illegal Temple Mount construction by
the Moslem Islamic Trust and Israel Islamic Association. The prime minister
continues to come under increasingly harsh criticism for his opting to ignore
the devastation on the Mount by the Wakf rather than confront the realities and
face possible Islamic riots or worse.
Senior members of Israel’s archaeological
community and academia have joined the many public, religious and elected
officials from all political camps, demanding an immediate halt to the illegal
work, as well as insisting that the police and other security agencies cease
turning a blind eye and enforce the law they are entrusted to uphold. Barak and
State Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein to date have ignored all pleas to
intervene, despite the overwhelming proof of the irreversible damage to
Judaism’s holiest site.
According to a an Israel TV News report, in just
one day, some 250 dump trucks carried over 6,000 tons of dirt off the Mount, as
another illegal mosque is under construction. Experts explain that debris that
was taken to an area dump contains archeological treasures that can never be
recovered. Fearing Islamic violence, the prime minister has ignored even the
appeals of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), which pointed out the level
of devastation by the Wakf construction has not been seen since the destruction
of the Second Temple.
Officials of the Israel Police, General Security
Service (GSS/Shin Bet), and State Attorney General’s Office are among those
scheduled to attend the meeting with the prime minister. At present, in the
wake of mounting pressure, Rubinstein is calling to shutdown the construction
by prohibiting heavy construction equipment from operating on the Mount. They
are also demanding that all construction be coordinated in advance with the IAA
and Israel Police, as prescribed by law. The meeting is currently scheduled to
take place on Thursday.
Israel TV has also documented that over past
days, the pace of the illegal construction has been significantly increased,
perhaps in anticipation of the enforcement of a stop work order.
Addressing Islamic worshipers on the Mount on
Friday, Jerusalem Mufti Sheik Arama Tsabari exclaimed that the Wakf has never requested
permission from anyone to carryout construction on the Mount and does not
intend to do so in the future.