Palestinians blame Israel for preventing restorations on the compound

By Suleiman Besharat, IOL Correspondent

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, March 4 (IslamOnline.net) – An extremist Jewish group submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court to rule against Palestinian restoration works in Al-Aqsa compound, Islam’s third holiest site, said a report by Al-Aqsa Society for Reconstruction of Islamic Shrines.

The so-called Temple Mount Faithful, which calls for demolishing the holy compound and rebuilding a Jewish temple in place, argued that the Israeli archaeology authority  - not the Palestinian Waqfs Department -  should take up the restorations.

The group claims that Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the so-called Temple Mount, an allegation branded false by several historians.

The petition came after a part of the road leading to one of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s main gates collapsed on February 15, due to ongoing Israeli excavations under the holy site.

Israel has been preventing restoration works in the site for more than three years now.

Archeologists said the Israeli excavations have already weakened the foundations of the mosque, cautioning it would not stand a powerful earthquake.

In May, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition, submitted every year by the extremist group, seeking permission to symbolically place a foundation stone for a new Solomon Temple.

Jewish extremists were planning to dynamite the mosque in response to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plans to evacuate the main Gush Katif settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli troops stormed Al-Aqsa mosque compound after the noon weekly prayers for which up to 35,000 worshippers had gathered on Friday, February 27, wounding at least 24 Palestinians.

On January 3, press reports said that Israel was planning to dig a new tunnel under Al-Aqsa mosque with eight million dollars donated by a Jewish American millionaire.

The tunnel is designed to tighten the grip of the Israeli occupation forces on the sacred compound, protect Jews who visit it and Judaize the Old City of occupied Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian society.

‘Vigilant’

It asserted that the new petition would not dissuade Palestinians from their right to the holy place.

The Palestinians are becoming more vigilant against plots by such hard-line Jewish groups, it said in a statement sent to IslamOnline.net.

“Muslims have a full right to Al-Aqsa with all of its buildings, and no other party should interfere into its own affairs,” the society said.

Early in August, three right-wing Israeli MPs tried to use their parliamentary privilege to enter the compound but police prevented them.

The second Palestinian Intifada against Israeli occupation broke out on September 28, 2000, in the wake of a provocative visit to the mosque by the then opposition leader Sharon.

Courses

In the meantime, another extremist group launched a course to train people who would guide Jewish visitors to the compound.

Hoping to set up the alleged skeleton of Solomon, the group launched a campaign for Jews to visit the compound and showed readiness to give details on the areas toured.

Israeli media recently reported that the number of Jews who entered the holy site since the Israeli authorities gave them permission to do so in early August 2003 amounts to 4,000.

The Palestinian society accused the Jewish group of seeking to disrupt lessons given to Palestinian students in the mosque.

“The aim of such courses is to foil the two-year-old educational sessions held by Al-Aqsa institution to teach religious sciences in the holy mosque,” it asserted.

The Palestinian society said the its course aim to “revive the pioneering scientific role of Al-Aqsa mosque and intensify Muslim existence along the day inside the mosque.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the Muslims’ first Qiblah [direction Muslims take during prayers] and it is the third holiest shrine after Al Ka'bah in Makkah and Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Its significance has been reinforced by the incident of Al Isra'a and Al Mi'raj – Prophet Mohammad’s night journey from Makkah to Al-Quds and the ascent to the Heavens.