15.12.00

Press release

A vehement protest against the renewal of work on the Temple Mount, on a large scale and over an area of thousands of square meters, which is causing grave harm to archeology. A demand that the Prime Minister order the immediate cessation of the illegal work on the Temple Mount, work which is being carried out without supervision by the Antiquities Authority, and contrary to the position of the Antiquities Authority, the Legal Advisor to the Government, and the Jerusalem Municipality.

1. About two weeks ago work related to construction and removal of earth was renewed on a very large scale on the Temple Mount, over large areas totaling thousands of square meters. The work includes:

* Extensive earth works and excavations, using a tractor, as preparation for paving.

* Paving work over extensive areas.

* Removal of earth and waste, rich in archeological findings, on a tremendous scale: 70 trucks and about 1,400 tons of earth.

* Constructional work in the Mercy Gate.

* Bringing in tens of trucks containing building materials.

* Bringing in heavy mechanical equipment/vehicles with a mechanical hammer for rock breaking.

2. During this period tens of trucks are entering with building and paving materials, including large quantities of bedding material for paving, paving stones, blocks, cement, and other materials. At the same time 70 trucks left the Mount with 1,400 tons of earth and waste, rich in archeological findings from all the periods. All this was done while causing grave damage to the existing archeological texture, without any form of supervision.

3. Based on the approval and decision of the Prime Minister, the Moslem Wakf was permitted to continue paving work on an area of 200 m² close to the Solomon’s Stables Mosque, as a gesture of good will and the wish for cooperation.

4. In practice, paving work and preparation for paving is being carried out over tremendous areas totaling thousands of square meters, in the eastern part of the Temple Mount, between the new path leading to the new mosque in Solomon’s Stables and the Mercy Gate.

5. Tractors are carrying out excavation and infrastructure work at a depth of one meter or more, over extensive areas in the eastern part of the Temple Mount. The entire area has the appearance of a tremendous building site, with heaps of earth and stone from the excavations, and heaps of bedding material for the new paving, and large quantities of paving stones.

6. Since the beginning of the rioting at the end of September we have been prevented from entering and inspecting from close up the work being executed. The Police also prevent Antiquities Authority inspectors from entering and supervising that taking place on the Temple Mount. Under the protection of the concealing screen, and the prevention of the media from ascending the Mount and reporting the events, the Wakf continues the work undisturbed.

7. There is obviously no connection between the small amount of work authorized by the Prime Minister and the extensive working area in which the work is being currently carried out. As was the case on several occasions over the last year, the Moslem Wakf and the Israeli Islamic Movement, who are carrying out the work, are deviating considerably from all the permits and agreements with the Israeli government and Police Force, and do as they wish with no restrictions and with total disregard of the permits they were given.

8. Building work is also being carried out within the inner courtyard of the mercy Gate, without any approval or permit. Pallets of blocks and cement have been unloaded in this area.

9. On 11.11.00, during the hours of darkness, heavy equipment/ vehicles were brought into the Temple Mount, including a mechanical hammer for breaking rocks (pneumatic drill?). This is a tool that has been brought in for the first time, and no use has been permitted or made of it in the past, because of its power and capability of making damage and significant changes to the rock and structure of the Mount, including destruction of massive antiquities, such as walls and buildings.

10. We are apprehensive regarding the possibility of rapidly executed additional destruction by the Moslem Wakf and the Israeli Islamic Movement, as was done precisely one year ago. At that time three tractors excavated, during continuous working over three days, a huge pit of area 2,000 m² and of depth of up to 12m, while causing enormous, unprecedented damage to the Temple Mount. 12,000 tons of earth rich in archeological findings, including from the periods of the First and Second Temples, were dumped in the Jerusalem rubbish dump.

11. The Israeli Police Force, which is supposed to supervise the execution of work precisely in compliance with the permit given, and to permit the entry of tools, building materials, and paving materials, only as required for the approved work, turns a blind eye to all the deviations and gross violations of all the permits, and agreements made with the Moslem Wakf, and in practice permits the entry of tremendous quantities of building materials, including bedding materials and infrastructures, paving stones, blocks, cement, etc.

12. As part of this process of turning a blind eye, and the desire to maintain peace at any price, the Police sends deceitful reports to government functions, including the Legal Advisor to the government and the Antiquities Department, as if the work is being executed on a very small scale and in accordance with the permit given.

13. All these activities are being done in accordance with the decision and approval of the Prime Minister, despite the opposition of senior government functions which are responsible for these matters, including the Antiquities Authority, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the Legal Advisor to the government, and without any kind of supervision on the Temple Mount by personnel of the Antiquities Authority, who have been prevented from entering the Mount since the beginning of the rioting and bloodshed at the end of September.

14. By deciding on and approving this work the Prime Minister is acting in contravention of the law, and he is doing so knowingly, contrary to the position of the Legal Advisor to the government who is opposed to this and has expressed his views regarding the gravity of the action. These activities represent serious offences against the laws of the State, including the Antiquities Law and the Planning and Building Law.

15. The work also violates the agreements and promises made during the course of the year, after the forceful demands to halt the systematic damage and destruction of the antiquities performed over the year by the Moslem Wakf, and the Israeli Islamic Government, according to which close supervision by personnel of the Antiquities Authority on the Temple Mount would be renewed, and work would only be executed after cooperation and approval by all the authorized functions, including the Antiquities Authority, the Legal Advisor to the government, the Jerusalem Municipality, and defense officials.

16. The work being carried out is causing very serious and irreversible damage to the most important antiquities site in Israel, and which is of the greatest importance to the Jewish People. This is intolerable destruction of scientific, cultural and archeological values, having world importance.

17. The Prime Minister expressed a clear and unambiguous position, during the Camp David talks, regarding the importance of the Temple Mount for the Jewish People, and the obligation to preserve it because of its importance and holiness. However, this position does not comply with the illegal permit given time after time to continue with the destructive and illegal work on the Temple Mount.

18. The Prime Minister has an obligation to preserve the Temple Mount in practical and real manner, and not just in the form of words divorced from reality. In practice the opposite occurs in the field, with systematic destruction directed by the Moslem Wakf.

19. We are aware, as are also senior government officials, that the work being executed is part of an extensive program to turn the entire area of the Temple Mount into a single enormous mosque. In order to achieve this aim they intend to pave the areas of the Mount and convert them into prayer areas, and build additional mosques, in the same way as they have already constructed two new large mosques in the area of the Mount during the last four years (in the Solomon’s Stables building and in Aksa el Kadima).

20. Despite the considerable information regarding the matter, the Prime Minister turns a blind eye to these issues and in practice aids the Moslem Wakf to execute and advance grandiose building schemes on the Temple Mount, while totally ignoring the destruction and damage to antiquities and archeological findings. This is a situation that cannot be tolerated in any enlightened cultured country, which is responsible for maintaining the rule of law and the fostering and preservation of values of science, culture, and history.

21. The Moslem Wakf and the Islamic Movement have no real need at present to execute the work, except for the desire to continue to take over additional areas on the Temple Mount and turn them into additional prayer areas, and additional mosques in the future. It should not be permitted to execute this work in a manner that severely damages rare antiquities and archeological findings on the Temple Mount.

22. We demand that the Prime Minister take immediate steps to halt at once the work being executed, to remove the heavy equipment (in particular the rock breaking hammer and the large tractor) from the area of the Temple Mount, and to make all activities on the Temple Mount conditional on close supervision by personnel of the Antiquities Authority and on the receipt of precise and detailed prior approval to execute the work from all the government functions responsible for the matter.

23. We demand that the Legal Advisor to the government act in accordance with his obligation as the person responsible for maintaining law in the State, and make it clear to the Prime Minister that his order and approval to execute the work are illegal, and emphasize to him the gravity of his order and approval for executing these illegal actions, and in particular in such a special and sensitive place, and to fulfill his obligation to make every effort to prevent the Prime Minister from continuing his illegal activities in the matter.

24. If within a very short time the illegal work on the Temple Mount is not halted, we shall be forced to apply to the Supreme Court in order to bring about the cessation of this vandalism and illegal destruction being executed on the Temple Mount, and which violates all accepted practice for the rule of law in a law-abiding State.

The committee for prevention of destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount.