A comprehensive meeting on ways to counteract the Moslem Waqf\'s construction works on the Temple Mount was held this morning in the office of outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Many archaeologists and Temple Mount groups have sharply criticized Barak\'s lack of action against the construction, despite their many warnings that the works are causing irreversible damage to Judaism\'s holiest site. The Prime Minister\'s staff dismissed the criticism, however, saying that the Prime Minister has now concluded that the police evaluation of the damage as \"minimal\" was not accurate.
The Waqf, whose head is appointed by Yasser Arafat, is in administrative control of the Mount. The Temple Mount Faithful group has submitted yet another urgent request to the Supreme Court to stop the Waqf\'s work, and to order police to ban the entry of heavy equipment. The group claims that the Waqf, even at these very hours, is causing damage to important remains of a wall of the Second Temple.
The Waqf, whose head is appointed by Yasser Arafat, is in administrative control of the Mount. The Temple Mount Faithful group has submitted yet another urgent request to the Supreme Court to stop the Waqf\'s work, and to order police to ban the entry of heavy equipment. The group claims that the Waqf, even at these very hours, is causing damage to important remains of a wall of the Second Temple.