Mughrabi Gate Dig Ignites Conflicts in the Middle East

Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) February 28, 2007 -- Current international social issues have flared once again with the Israeli archaeological excavation and reconstruction work on a ramp leading to the Mughrabi Gate adjacent to the Jewish holy sites of the Temple Mount and the Western Wall -- adding to the already heated conflicts in the Middle East. The area is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposition to the excavation has sparked anti-Israel and anti-Semitic comments in the Muslim world, prompting a rise in tensions as Muslims claim the Mughrabi dig endangers their holy site, the Haram al-Sharif with its Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

It was reported on February 18 that the site of this archaeological dig outside the disputed holy compound in Jerusalem might contain the remains of a Muslim prayer room that was part of a madrasa, a Muslim religious school, which operated near the Mughrabi Gate.

Scholar and Author David Hulme believes that identity and ideology come to the fore again over this ramp. The gate takes its name from the Mughrabi Quarter that once stood next to the Wall and was home to the Muslim clerics who performed religious duties at al-Aqsa Mosque. The Quarter was also once home to Yasir Arafat, who lived there for a time with his mother's family.

"It seems that no one would object to making the area physically safer for all concerned or the potential discovery of artifacts from the area's Muslim, Christian and Jewish past," said Hulme. There is a long history of provocation on all sides when it comes to the Wall and the Haram, as Hulme covers in his recently released book, Identity, Ideology and the Future of Jerusalem, which examines the possibility of peace in the City of Peace.

It was 1967 when the Israelis demolished the Mughrabi Quarter in the aftermath of their capture of the Old City. The ramp remained as the only entry to the Temple Mount for non-Muslim visitors, but it collapsed in 2004 after a minor earthquake and snowstorm.

Hulme notes in his blog, which covers current events in the region, that in the search for a resolution to the final-status issue of Jerusalem, "Everyone stands to gain by recognizing an unavoidable truth: identity and ideology matter to everyone, so the potential archaeological discovery of artifacts from the Umayyad, Byzantine and Herodian periods representing Jewish, Christian and Muslim attachment to the area, should be encouraged."

Recently the Turkish prime minister and UNESCO have offered to send technical teams to assess the danger, if any, to al-Aqsa. Additionally the Israelis have installed web cams at the site of the dig in hopes of setting minds at ease. Israeli authorities and the Jerusalem archaeologist, Dr. Eilat Mazar, have said there is no risk.

Hulme's Vision.org Foundation will contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Identity, Ideology, and the Future of Jerusalem to intercommunal peace efforts in Israel and Palestine.

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