Eastern Wall of Temple Mount in trouble

The troubles on the Temple Mount are far from over. Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar now says that the eastern wall of the Mount, that which faces Mt. of Olives, is in danger of collapse.

The Knesset held a session on the topic this week, at the behest of MK Uri Ariel (National Union). Dr. Mazar explained to Arutz-7 afterwards that the construction works carried out by the Waqf - the Muslim religious body that supervises the Temple Mount - are a contributory factor to the weakening of the ancient structure. "There are cumulative factors," Dr. Mazar added, "such as earthquakes, winter, and the lack of maintenance on the ancient structure - all of which together indicate a grave and immediate danger of collapse." An earthquake hit Israel just 100 days ago.

Dr. Mazar noted that construction on the Temple Mount is governed by the Antiquities Law, and that the person responsible for its enforcement is Prime Minister Sharon: "He shunts aside these matters, however, and therefore the responsible authorities can't take the necessary actions. This is the most important site in Israel, and yet we don't see the authorities there. We have to wake up and realize that if we don't take care of it, the vandalism and illegal construction will continue."

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