Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount
The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount is a group of
History
The committee was founded in January 2000
The committee has alleged that the Jerusalem Waqf attempted to remove archaeological evidence that a Jewish temple ever stood at the Temple Mount by opening a mosque at Solomon's Stables in 1999. To monitor the Waqf's construction at the site in the early 2000s, the committee hired aircraft to take aerial photos and monitor for construction progress.[2]
For decades, the committee pushed for efforts to analyze dirt and rubble dug up during Muslim construction at the Temple Mount site, which Muslim and Jordanian authorities have rejected. Between 2004 and 2017, volunteers associated with the committee went through the dirt removed by the Waqf from the site during construction, discovering half a million pieces of rubble from the
In 2018, Zachi Dvira, on behalf of the committee, shared video footage of a multi-date "beautification project" by Muslim volunteers removing earth and stones from atop the Temple Mount, which he claimed were dumped by the Waqf during unauthorized excavations since the early 2000s. Archaeologists had been prevented by Israeli and Muslim authorities from examining the contents.[5]
Members come from a broad swath of Israeli society, from archaeologists to members of the security establishment and politicians. These include former mayor of Jerusalem
See also
References
- ^ Ami-El, Mark (1 August 2002). "The destruction of the Temple Mount antiquities". Jerusalem Viewpoints. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b Demick, Barbara (29 October 2002). "Fear of Collapse Adds to Disputes Over Jerusalem's Temple Mount". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b Shragai, Nadav (29 June 2018). "Oversight on the Mount". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ a b Greenberg, Eric (27 May 2005). "Troubles Mount for Effort To Rescue Temple Artifacts". The Forward. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Borschel-Dan, Amanda (22 June 2018). "Muslim cleanup project 'illegally disturbed, removed' ancient soil on Temple Mt". Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 August 2023.