Arabs Vandalize Judaism´s Holiest Site

July 5, 2005

It is suspected that Arab workers brought in by the Waqf (Muslim religious trust), which controls the mount, are the culprits. Police feel they used stone-cutting tools to engrave the word into the stone, which is located about 30 feet (9 meters) off the ground.

The stone in question is located next to scaffolding brought in by Jordanian workers to prevent the collapse of the wall. The Temple Mount’s retaining wall was in danger of collapse after the Waqf engaged in massive and unsupervised excavations below the mount.

Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Committee for the Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities strongly condemned the vandalism. “They are supposed to be fixing and bolstering the wall, not carving names into the ancient structure,” said the Hebrew University archaeologist. “The Antiquities Authority, and the police as well, have failed to provide even elementary protection that is provided for any archaeological site, let alone the Temple Mount.”

“This is a shameful crime,” Mazar said. “Graffiti on an archaeological site! Can you imagine what a political storm would have resulted if graffiti with a Jewish theme had been carved into such a [Muslim] site?”

Source: