Al-Aqsa Landslide Sounds the Alarm

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A landslide at part of Al-Aqsa Mosque esplanade has sounded the alarm over the ongoing Israeli excavations near Islam's third holiest shrine.

Worshippers witnessed a crater at the esplanade as they were en route to the Friday prayer, Al-Aqsa Online reported Saturday, February 16.

The crater is two meters in length and 1.5 meters in width.

"I was cleaning the mosque's esplanade for the Friday prayers," said Ashraf Al-Sharyati, the driver of the mosque's cleaning vehicle.

"Suddenly, some bricks fell down at 10:00 a.m., creating a crater. We covered the big hole with wooden plans for worshippers' safety."

The landslide occurred near Al-Selsela (Chain) Gate and Qatibai Water Fountain at the mosque's western side.

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the Muslims’ first Qiblah [direction Muslims take during prayers] and it is the third holiest shrine after Al Ka`bah in Makkah and Prophet Muhammad's Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

Its significance has been reinforced by the incident of Al Isra'a and Al Mi'raj — the night journey from Makkah to Al-Quds and the ascent to the Heavens by Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him).

The holy place represents the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict as Jews claim that their alleged Haykal (Temple of Solomon) exists underneath Al-Haram Al-Sharif.

Israeli Diggings

Palestinians blamed the Israeli diggings adjacent to Al-Aqsa for the earth moving.

"The diggings and tunnels Israel is building beneath and around Al-Aqsa Mosque are the cause of the new landslide," said Al-Aqsa Foundation for Reconstruction of Islamic Sanctities in an online statement.

"The Jewish tunnels network have reached Al-Selsela Gate."

The Islamic Movement in Israel also blamed the Israeli diggings for the landslide, calling on Muslim countries to step in to stop Israeli excavations near the holy mosque.

The movement's leader Sheikh Raed Salah has warned that Israel plans to build a colossal synagogue at the heart of Al-Haram Al-Sharif and contiguous to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli bulldozers started last February demolishing the wooden bridge leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque's Al-Maghariba Gate and two underground rooms, sparking widespread protests in the Palestinian lands and Muslim countries.

Archeologists warn that leveling the mound upon which the wooden bridge is built would threaten the foundation of Al-Aqsa Mosque and open the way for more Israeli excavations.

A part of the road leading to one of the mosque’s main gates collapsed in February of 2004 due to the destructive Israeli digging work.