Israel digs tunnel near Al-Aqsa
The authority said that the 600 meters long tunnel links the City of David in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan with the Archaeological Park & Davidson Center, which is located near the Western Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. The City of David is an archaeological site run by rightist Jewish occupiers.
The IAA said that the tunnel was uncovered during excavations conducted by its teams over the past few months. It added that the tunnel will enable visitors to cross under the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.
Israeli sources said that the digging had been going on for seven years and was delayed for about a year by order of the Israeli High Court of Justice, after Palestinian residents in Silwan filed a petition claiming the dig was damaging their homes.
Uzi Dahari, the deputy director of the IAA, said that the dig has no political aim no and there is no intention of igniting inter-religious tensions in the area.
"The Antiquities Authority deals only with archaeology. We are not digging tunnels, but working only where we are allowed to work," he explained. "After the High Court realized that there was no risk involved, and that none of the residents are being harmed, it authorized the continuation of the work. This dig is very important from an archaeological standpoint."
Palestinian lawyer Sami Irsheid, who represented the Silwan residents in filing the petition at the High Court of Justice, said, "When we filed the petition, it was clear to us that the purpose of the tunnel is to link Silwan with the Western Wall."
Irsheid added, "The court accepted the explanations of the Antiquities Authority - that it is not a dig, but the clearing out of an existing tunnel. Today we see that the Antiquities Authority's explanations were merely sand (thrown) in our eyes."
The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein criticized the Israeli move.
Hussein said, "Building of a new tunnel near Al-Aqsa Mosque is a provocation of Muslims emotions." Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com