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Construction at holy site brings a call for protests
Associated Press
Published February 9, 2007
JERUSALEM - An Islamic leader has called on Israeli Arabs and Muslims to protest Israeli construction work near a holy site in Jerusalem. Fearing that thousands might heed his call, Israeli police intensified security measures ahead of Muslim prayers today at the site, adding travel restrictions and helicopter patrols. The dispute centers on Israel's decision to begin repair work on an earthen ramp leading to the hilltop compound known as the Temple Mount to Jews and as the Noble Sanctuary to Muslims. The centuries-old ramp was damaged in a 2004 snowstorm. Israeli authorities say the plan to replace it would not damage the holy site, about 60 yards away. But Muslim leaders began protesting the work as soon as it started Tuesday. "The aggression happening now is a tragedy, a crime," said Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel. The site, home to the golden-capped Dome of the Rock shrine and Al Aqsa mosque, is especially important to Palestinians and Israeli Arabs. It is Islam's third-holiest site, from where they believe the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, and a focal point of national pride. The compound is also sacred to Jews as the site of their biblical temples. Israel has controlled it since the 1967 Mideast War but has left its administration largely to the Jordanian-controlled trust known as the Waqf and to the Palestinians.
[Last modified February 9, 2007, 00:23:11]
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