More Serious Excavations Target Al Aqsa Mosque

Since the city of Jerusalem was occupied by the Israeli authorities in 1967, the Israeli Antiquities Authority has been doing its bestو through using the policy of the stick and carrot, to discover the archeological treasures in the city of Jerusalem, the latest of which was buying a shop near Al Aqsa Mosque under which it started serious excavation works.
 
The voracity and greed of this authority led to several crises that led to a bloodbath, like the incident of the Marwani mosque and many other incidents related to Al-Magharbeh Gate and other ancient Islamic monuments. More than 40 Palestinians were martyred in the famous incident of the tunnel, creating a big crack in the Israeli Arab relations and deepened hatred among the Jewish and Muslim residents of the city.
 
Digging Under a Shop
 
This month, a strange incident of burglary was unveiled; it was against the ancient monuments in the city of Jerusalem aiming, with a premeditated planning at reaching the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
 
What happened is that the Antiquities Authority managed, through brokers, to buy a small 2m/2m shop from a citizen called Abou Abdul Khatib who is living in Ras Al-Amoud region; it paid 60 thousand dollars to him; this shop is located in Al Wad street against Al-Buraq restaurant near the Wailing Wall.
 
Israel began immediately its suspicious works of excavation, as the works and excavations take place secretly after the shop is shut down; hence, the excavation department was doing its work quickly and continuously so that the
excavations started from Al Wad street across Al-Silsila Gate reaching the gates of the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem.
 
What raises eyebrows is that this flagrant aggression takes place in broad daylight while no resident in the region knowing it; also, there is a synagogue, place for Jews to commit their prayers, is being built over it.
 
Observers point out that this is not a sole incident, confirming that there are many excavation works that take place through such a method making use of the deterioration of economic situations and the blockade imposed upon the Jerusalemite, something that makes them prone to blackmail and robbery.
 
A series of violations



Accordingly, the chairman of Al-Aqsa association in Palestine, sheikh Kamel Al Rayyan commented on this to Aljazeera, saying this conspiracy is nothing but one episode in a series of continuous violations that Israel and some of its gangs are carrying out; the seriousness of such works lie in the fact they have a direct effect and endanger Al Aqsa Mosque and its sanctity. He held Israel fully accountable for the serious repercussions and hostilities resulting from such activities.
Sheikh Al Rayyan urged Arab and Muslim World leaders to confront these Israeli activities, and called on them to very firmly and unhesitatingly resist them; he also demanded the political and religious leaders in the Arab arenas to give a top priority to such an issue, “because Al Aqsa Mosque has a great status in our hearts and creed”.
 
Israeli Conspiracy



On the other hand, sheikh Khaled Mehanna, from the Islamic Movement, described the excavation works as a conspiracy in the full meaning of the word, pointing out that there is and old and new politically and religiously driven conspiracy against Al Aqsa Mosque in particular and Holy Jerusalem in general.
Mehanna told Aljazeera.net that it is ” extremely regretting and painful that some of our opportunist compatriots  participate in this conspiracy. He called on the Arab citizens to close ranks and not to allow any more destruction in Al-Aqsa.
 
Mehanna confirmed that the Islamic Movement led by sheikh Ibrahim Sarsour is guarding Al-Aqsa against any premeditated aggression, making itself a shield and sacrificing everything it owns for protecting Al-Aqsa.



Sheikh Mehanna declared that there are round the clock activities and moves, as everything is deeply studied to find and expose any aggression against Al Aqsa Mosque.