Barak orders police to tell waqf
to halt Mount digging
By Nadav Shragai
Ha'aretz Correspondent
Prime Minister Ehud Barak yesterday asked police to meet the Jerusalem waqf and
halt the alleged destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount, particularly
along the Eastern Wall, near the entrance to the underground mosques in the area
known as Solomon's stables.
The directive to the police followed a letter from the head of the Antiquities
Department to the prime minister.
A representative from the Public Security Ministry met yesterday with officials
from the waqf to seek clarification about the construction and repair work
underway. Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami was briefed on the outcome.
According to the report, the waqf has not coordinated with police the
bulldozing work underway near the Eastern Wall.
Dirt and remnants of the ancient walls were removed by the bulldozers without
any archaeological supervision. Two arches were revealed parallel to the
Eastern Wall - the nature of those arches has not been determined.
The Temple Mount Faithful yesterday went to the High Court of Justice to seek a
temporary injunction to force the government to enforce a ban on any
construction and excavation on the Temple Mount. The movement claims the waqf's
work is damaging antiquities "and remnants of the Second Temple.
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