(Reuters/MSNBC) Israel fears part of Jerusalem's most sensitive shrine at the site of the Temple Mount may collapse under the weight of Muslims due to pour in for Ramadan rites in mid-October and wants curbs on the number of worshippers, officials said Sunday. Israel's Antiquities Authority said the mosque foundations in the galleries known as Solomon's Stables had become unstable from a combination of neglect, shoddy construction work, and a recent earthquake. Fissures had formed in the roof - where Muslims also pray - and the eastern wall of the underground cavern, according to a recent on-site examination by Egyptian engineers. The eastern wall and roof risk collapse, Israeli officials said, and any structural catastrophe at the shrine would be blamed by the Islamic world on Israel.
2004-09-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive