The
Waqf, a Jordanian Muslim religious body entrusted with the management
of the Temple Mount, has been renovating the site for years.
Published: December 30th, 2012
A tractor working on the Temple Mount, Dec. 24th.
Photo Credit: Yitzchak Dvira
Photo Credit: Yitzchak Dvira
A
demonstration was held last Wednesday (Dec. 26) at the northern
entrance to the Temple Mount, in protest of the Waqf’s continued
destruction of archeological artifacts on the holy site. The
demonstrators, led by MK Aryeh Eldad, called on Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu to intervene and to stop the obliteration of these priceless
antiques by the Waqf.
The
Waqf, a Jordanian Muslim religious body entrusted with the management
of the Temple Mount, has been renovating the site for years. In the
process, they have been moving mounds of earth off the mountain. These
piles contain numerous archaeological artifacts from many centuries. In
2004, the High Court of Justice passed a ruling prohibiting the removal
of the dirt from the Temple Mount to other locations until the contents
are combed for artifacts.
Archaeologist
Yitzchak Dvira has recently published a report about the Waqf’s ongoing
disregard of the High Court’s ruling. In his report he states that
since the ruling in 2004, large piles of earth have accumulated on the
eastern side of the Temple Mount, and the Waqf continues to move earth
from the Temple Mount to dump sites in East Jerusalem. Dvira has
documented several recent incidents of heavy machinery moving earth away
from the Temple Mount. These actions have resulted in the loss of
artifacts important to understanding the Jewish, Christian and Muslim
history of the site.
Dvira
and his crew have sifted through the piles of earth removed from the
Mount and have recovered many artifacts belonging to various historical
periods. They have recovered seals baring the names of priests mentioned
in the book of Jeremiah, support beams from the First Temple, remnants
of the structure of the Second Temple, arrow heads and horse-shoe nails
from the Crusade period and even artifacts from the Muslim period.
Dvira
states that he sees dozens such artifacts every day in the mounds on
the side of the Temple Mount. He told Tazpit News Agency that he
believes the earth piles should be removed, but it should be done in a
supervised fashion, ensuring no further losses. Dvira submitted his
report to the police who have released a statement declaring that all
construction on the Temple Mount is under their close supervision, and
that Dvira’s claims are incorrect. As of now, all other supervisory
agencies have not provided a response.
Dvira
points out that all issues regarding the Temple Mount are overseen by
the Prime Minister’s Office, and he suspects that there is consent on
their part to the Waqf’s actions. PM Netanyahu met with King Abdullah of
Jordan last week, and Dvira believes they discussed issues related to
the Temple Mount project. The Jordanians have been pressuring the
Israeli Government to allow the removal of the earth mounds on the side
of the Temple Mount.
Dvira
and the Temple Mount organizations warn that this continued neglect and
disregard of the law will bring to further loss of historic relics.
They intend to petition the High Court once more soon.
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