More than 200,000 viewers have logged on to a new Israeli website that features a live video feed of activities at the site of the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate excavations.
The site - "http://www.antiquities.org.il/home_eng.asp" - shows the activity at the archaeological dig out at the construction site where repair work is to be carried out on a broken footbridge leading to the entrance of the Temple Mount. The excavations take place from Sunday through Thursday, from 6:30 to 14:00.
Repairs by the Israel Antiquities Authority have been met with fierce opposition by the Muslim community.
The website was developed as part of an effort to calm fears whipped up by Muslim leaders who claimed that Israel was secretly attempting to damage the mosques on the Temple Mount.
Interest in the site has been high, with over 210,000 hits registered within the past three weeks. Almost 67,000 of those hits were from America. High interest was registered in the Muslim world as well, with 19,600 hits from Turkey.
There were also 56 hits from Iran, a relatively high number given the country’s strict Internet controls. Hits were registered from Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq as well.
Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Yaakov Edri praised the government’s initiative. ”The site will prove that Israel has no intention of harming Muslim places of worship,” he said.
Another way to demonstrate Israel’s good intentions, said Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski on Tuesday, is by publicizing the building plans for the permanent replacement footbridge at the site. Lupolianski was quoted as saying he hopes that publicly presenting the plan will make it clear that the Temple Mount and its environs will not be harmed by the construction.
Jerusalem Planning and Construction Committee Chairman Yehoshua Pollack said the new bridge will be supported by a minimal number of columns, in order to both minimize the risk of damage to the archaeological findings nearby and allow pedestrians to view them.
The committee met Tuesday for initial discussions on the plan.
Excavations will continue throughout the discussion and approval of the plans for the bridge, emphasized city spokesman Gideon Schmerling, regardless of opposition to the project.
Schmerling added in a statement that the excavations are expected to last at least eight months.
The site - "http://www.antiquities.org.il/home_eng.asp" - shows the activity at the archaeological dig out at the construction site where repair work is to be carried out on a broken footbridge leading to the entrance of the Temple Mount. The excavations take place from Sunday through Thursday, from 6:30 to 14:00.
Repairs by the Israel Antiquities Authority have been met with fierce opposition by the Muslim community.
The website was developed as part of an effort to calm fears whipped up by Muslim leaders who claimed that Israel was secretly attempting to damage the mosques on the Temple Mount.
Interest in the site has been high, with over 210,000 hits registered within the past three weeks. Almost 67,000 of those hits were from America. High interest was registered in the Muslim world as well, with 19,600 hits from Turkey.
There were also 56 hits from Iran, a relatively high number given the country’s strict Internet controls. Hits were registered from Syria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq as well.
Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Yaakov Edri praised the government’s initiative. ”The site will prove that Israel has no intention of harming Muslim places of worship,” he said.
Another way to demonstrate Israel’s good intentions, said Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski on Tuesday, is by publicizing the building plans for the permanent replacement footbridge at the site. Lupolianski was quoted as saying he hopes that publicly presenting the plan will make it clear that the Temple Mount and its environs will not be harmed by the construction.
Jerusalem Planning and Construction Committee Chairman Yehoshua Pollack said the new bridge will be supported by a minimal number of columns, in order to both minimize the risk of damage to the archaeological findings nearby and allow pedestrians to view them.
The committee met Tuesday for initial discussions on the plan.
Excavations will continue throughout the discussion and approval of the plans for the bridge, emphasized city spokesman Gideon Schmerling, regardless of opposition to the project.
Schmerling added in a statement that the excavations are expected to last at least eight months.