Israeli excavations caused collapse in a section of Al-Aqsa Mosque yards on Friday

Aqsa: Israeli excavations caused collapse in the Aqsa Mosque's yards

[ 16/02/2008 - 03:41 PM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Al-Aqsa foundation for the reconstruction of Islamic holy shrines revealed that a section of Al-Aqsa Mosque yards caved in at noon Friday as a result of the Israeli excavations, which are being carried out under and around the Mosque with the aim of demolishing it.

In a statement received by the PIC, the foundation said that it managed to catch photos of the collapse which happened near the Qaitbay fountain in the western area of the Mosque.

The foundation explained that the excavations made a one-meter-deep hole, pointing out that it gathered testimonies from the Palestinians who own houses adjacent to the collapsed area, where they confirmed the hearing of loud sounds coming from beneath their houses around the clock as a result of the Israeli excavations, which caused cracks threatening their houses with collapse.

In a related context, the foundation disclosed that the illegal Zionist Israeli Elad settlement society is building a new tunnel under dozens of Palestinian houses in the Silwan area, southern Aqsa Mosque which also caused cracks threatening many houses there with collapse.

According to photos given by the Silwan people, the foundation underlined that the tunnel begins at Silwan and ends at the Maghareba gate and may reach tens of meters away.

The residents of the Hilwa neighborhood in Silwan reported that when they asked the Elad society to stop its excavations, its workers and some Israeli settlers attacked them and called the Israeli police who upon their arrival told the Palestinians to lodge their compliant against the Israeli assailants with the police station in occupied Jerusalem, but when they went to report what happened, they were arrested.

Khatib: Israel's settlement activity in Jerusalem a blow to the PA negotiator

[ 17/02/2008 - 11:49 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Shaikh Kamal Al-Khatib, the deputy head of the Islamic Movement in the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948, considered Israel's ongoing settlement activities in occupied Jerusalem and its attempts to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque is a blow to the PA negotiation team in light of what was agreed upon during the Annapolis conference.

Shaikh Khatib explained in an interview with Palestine newspaper published on Sunday that the accelerating excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque, the building of thousands of settlement outposts and the harassment against the Palestinians in Jerusalem among other things indicate that Israel pays no attention at all to the PA leadership and its negotiators and just tries to gain some time to impose a fait accompli in Jerusalem.

Shaikh Khatib underlined that the fissure that appeared in Al-Aqsa Mosque's yards near the manuscripts library "confirms what we had said during the past years that the IOA did not stop its excavations for one moment under the Mosque".

The Sheikh warned that the IOA used to deny any excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque, but today it publishes its infringements openly and allows journalists to report about them in order to create a fait accompli and prepare the public opinion to accept the presence of these tunnels as a prelude to building a synagogue under Al-Aqsa Mosque and finally the alleged third temple.

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