Posted on 10/08/2002 9:42:57 AM PDT by truthandlife
Jordanian engineers drilled into the bulge in the southern wall of Temple Mount on Monday, to take a sample for inspection after an informal agreement was reached between Israel and the Waqf, the Muslim religious trust that governs the Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, to let the Jordanians do the work.
The bulge has aroused fears that the wall may collapse, but disagreements between Israel and the Waqf have prevented Israel's Antiquities Authority from testing the bulge and carrying out renovation work on it - and prevented the Waqf from doing the same.
A few weeks ago a Jordanian delegation canceled its visit due to last minute disagreements between Israel and the Waqf. The Jordanian delegation, headed by a senior Jordanian official, will be observed but not supervised by the Antiquities Authority.
Israel initiated the resumption of Jordan's involvement in Temple Mount, following the Waqf's refusal to let the Antiquities Authority carry out excavation works on the bulge on the southern wall. The Waqf and Israel relaxed their positions after the Antiquities Authority submitted a report stating the bulge was growing rapidly, and the southern wall could be in danger of collapse.
Israel warned that parts of the southern wall were in immediate danger of caving in, which could lead to the further collapse of parts of Solomon's Stables and the al Aqsa Mosque.
According to the Antiquities Authority, the bulge is now 190 meters long and at one point protrudes by as much as 70 centimeters. The authority has also pointed to "advanced erosion of the stones of the southern wall, creating a significant danger to the structure ... If the erosion is not taken care of it will contribute to the instability of the southern wall."
The Israelis have been leaning toward the Jordanians, partly because the locals (the Wakf) and the PLO have been very hostile to any Israeli concern about the excavations and destruction of Jewish relics on the Mount.
Although people have been predicting a lot of trouble for Israel if the Mount developes a sink hole or something similar, it may be Arafat who will be in real trouble, for refusing to cooperate with Israeli offers of assistance.
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