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A hole that reportedly opened up after an earthquake (Islamic Authority)
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| By Israel Insider staff February 17, 2008 |
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There were only two reports of damage in Israel from Friday's quake, and one of them was in the most politically sensitive place on earth. Muslim authorities report that the tremor, centered in southern Lebanon and measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale, opened a crater on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, adjacent to the Dome of the Rock. Officials from the Wakf blamed Israel for the 6-foot by 5-foot hole, about three feet deep, accusing the Jewish State of tunneling beneath the Temple Mount. the Wakf demanded an end to all Israeli excavations in the area.
Though several excavation projects are taking place around the Western Wall Plaza, none of them involve tunneling past the wall itself or beneath the mount. The Wakf's position is that there was never a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount and has gone to great efforts to erase archaeological evidence of Judaism's historical ties to the site. There was no independent confirmation that the quake caused the hole, the photograph was provided by the Wakf, and it is conceivable that the hole was "created" for propaganda purposes rather than as the natural result of the earthquake.
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz issued a statement flatly rejecting the Muslim claims. "These are mendacious reports without a grain of truth," he said, adding that work in the Temple Mount compound would be contrary to Jewish law. "Such claims are a desecration and cause hatred and incitement for no reason whatsoever," Rabbi Rabinowitz said. He stressed that work on the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate ramp to the Temple Mount is vital for the safety of those who visit the Western Wall and called on the authorities to finish the work speedily.
The only other reported damage in the Holy Land was incurred between Palestinian Authority-controlled Nablus and Jenin, where an old home collapsed, blocking the main road to the village of Khufin, Israel National News reported. The village is near the site of the Biblical Joseph's Tomb, which was set ablaze by Muslim vandals last week.
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