Israeli author and well-known left-wing activist A. B. Yehoshua was one of a dozen dignitaries who signed a letter that the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities sent to Prime Minister Sharon last week. The letter details the various projects that are allegedly being carried out by the Muslim Waqf (trust) on Jerusalem\'s Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.
This past weekend Yehoshua was quoted as saying that it was sad to see, “these archeological treasures thrown away” because of the, “Palestinians\' desire to create facts on the ground.” The antiquities committee believes that many historical artifacts from the times of the Temples have already been destroyed by the Waqf\' activities.
The committee also charges that the police are not giving accurate reports about what projects are currently being undertaken on the site. The Waqf is carrying out an extensive operation of cleaning out underground caverns and cisterns for the purpose of bringing \'holy waters\' from Mecca, thus \'upgrading\' the status of the Temple Mount in Muslim eyes and obviating the need for worshippers to go to Mecca.
This past weekend Yehoshua was quoted as saying that it was sad to see, “these archeological treasures thrown away” because of the, “Palestinians\' desire to create facts on the ground.” The antiquities committee believes that many historical artifacts from the times of the Temples have already been destroyed by the Waqf\' activities.
The committee also charges that the police are not giving accurate reports about what projects are currently being undertaken on the site. The Waqf is carrying out an extensive operation of cleaning out underground caverns and cisterns for the purpose of bringing \'holy waters\' from Mecca, thus \'upgrading\' the status of the Temple Mount in Muslim eyes and obviating the need for worshippers to go to Mecca.