ISRAEL EXCAVATES NEAR AL-AQSA COMPLEX

Ramallah, Palestine, 11 Rajab 1434/21 May 2014 (MINA) – Israeli authorities on Monday (20/5) began excavation near Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex and canceled a visit by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which was supposed to inspect preservation work in Jerusalem’s Old City.

“The Israeli authorities began the excavations in the Al-Buraq Plaza (the Western Wall Plaza) and in area of the Umayyad palaces adjacent to the southern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Sheikh Azzam Al-Khatib, the head of Islamic Waqf department in occupied Jerusalem said, as Saudi Gazette reported monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).

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They started the excavations in the Al-Buraq Plaza for the construction of the so-called Strauss House, the plan of which was approved by the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee in 2010.

The proposed four-story house would consist of 944 square meters that would be added to the existing building of 772 square meters in the plaza.

“They also started new excavations in the area of Umayyad palaces for “constructing a network of bridges and iron stairs in the historic area to transfer it to facilities of the so-called second temple,” Khatib added.

Meanwhile, an Israeli official said Israel objected to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki’s reference to the UNESCO tour as a “probe (of) the occupation measures” in the city. “So we are calling off (the visit),” Israeli official said.

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A month ago, UNESCO’s Paris headquarters announced it would send experts to Jerusalem in mid-May to examine the state of conservation of the walled Old City, a World Heritage site.

Jordan and Palestine, supported by Arab states, succeeded in pressuring Israel, for the first time since 2004, to accept and facilitate a UNESCO experts’ mission to investigate and assess the status of heritage and conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls.

According to IINA news agency report, the mission will start its work on May 15 and it has to present its report and recommendations before June 1, 2013, just before the beginning of the World Heritage Committee 37th session. But Israeli authorities stop that visit. (T/P09/P03)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)