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Israeli Archaeologists Angered Over Holy Site Work

[BBC News] Martin Asser - A group of Israeli archaeologists is protesting about fresh excavations at Jerusalem's holiest religious shrine, saying it threatens priceless relics. Muslim authorities at the Temple Mount are digging a 150-meter trench for water pipes and electricity cables. Israeli critics say the work is causing irreparable damage, indiscriminately piling up earth and carved stones. Jewish tradition reveres the area as the remains of King Solomon's temple. The Waqf resumed working this week, using a mechanical digger on a meter-deep trench, cutting through the subsoil. Dr. Gabriel Barkai of Bar-Ilan University, on behalf of the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount, called it an act of barbarism. "They should be using a toothbrush, not a bulldozer." He accuses the Islamic authorities of wanting to "show who is the boss" by destroying Jewish remains at the site. "The earth here is saturated by history. All we can do is alert the world to what is happening and try to stop the next disaster," he says.
2007-08-29 01:00:00
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