As Israel sets to dismantle age-old landmarks in the holy site of Al-Aqsa, Khaled Amayreh gauges Muslim and Arab reactions, and, as well, the apparent cohesion on the Fatah-Hamas Palestinian front Gauging forbearance Israel is testing Muslim and Arab reactions to its provocative digging around Islam's second most sacred site Israel this week disregarded the feelings of the world's 150 million Muslims when Jewish municipal authorities sent in bulldozers to East Jerusalem to demolish the ancient Al-Maghariba walkway, an annex to Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites from time immemorial. The walkway, known in Arabic as Bab Al-Maghariba (the Moroccan Gate), was seized by Israel immediately after the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. Then, the Israeli army utterly destroyed two adjacent Arab neighbourhoods in the area, Al-Maghariba and Al-Sharaf, and created on their former site the so-called Western Wall plaza. The Western Wall, formerly the Wailing Wall, is known in Islam as the "Buraq", the spot from which, according to Muslim tradition, the Prophet Mohamed was taken to the seventh heavens by Archangel Gabriel during the famous journey of Israa and Mi'raj (the flight from Mecca to Jerusalem and the subsequent night journey from Jerusalem -- Al-Aqsa Mosque -- to heaven). The Israeli account of its demolition work is quite innocent. Israeli officials claim they are only rebuilding a ramp that was made unsafe as a result of a snowstorm a few years ago. Muslim leaders, however, contend that Israel is effectively altering the timeless features of Haram Al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem) and is edging another step further towards the realisation of Jewish designs, namely the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the building of a Jewish temple on its former site. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert claimed that, "the work was coordinated with many concerned parties inside and outside Israel... there are no religious motivations behind that, and we informed all the concerned parties, locally and internationally." Arab and Muslim leaders in Jerusalem and Palestine at large called Olmert a "liar". Indeed, they challenged him to name the "concerned parties" with which Israel coordinated its excavations at the holy site. Israel appears not honest about what is really happening. Israeli municipal authorities refused to coordinate the work with Muslim waqf officials and the Supreme Muslim Council. The main reason for that is so as not to undermine Israeli claims of sovereignty over Jerusalem. The entire international community, including Israel's guardian ally, the United States, doesn't recognise Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. Olmert was further quoted this week as saying: "we will not allow Salah and Meshaal to decide what goes on in Jerusalem," referring to the head of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah and Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal. Both Palestinian leaders have issued impassioned appeals to Muslims worldwide to take action to forestall "Israeli plans to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque". "They want the world to believe that what they are doing is innocuous. But the truth is that they are gauging Muslim forbearance. They are acting in the context of a process -- it is inch by inch, stone by stone -- until they demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque and then claim that it collapsed naturally or was destroyed as a result of an earthquake," said Salah. Salah, who has been at the forefront of a campaign to raise Muslim awareness of the "mortal danger" facing Al-Aqsa Mosque as a result of unceasing Israeli excavations beneath the Islamic holy site, was arrested for "trespassing, attacking police, and incitement against Israel". Earlier, the Israeli antiquity authority said it would go ahead with opening a tunnel beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque that would link the Western Wall with the Arab neighbourhood of Silwan, which Jews refer to as the "City of David". The tunnel is expected to pass directly beneath the Marwani Mosque, where significant parts of Al-Aqsa Mosque are located. The tunnel, coupled with a network of other subterranean passageways in the area, poses a real threat to the foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the nearby Dome of the Rock. "The foundations of Al-Aqsa Mosque already face a real danger as a result of aggressive Israeli excavations in the area. I wouldn't exaggerate if I said that unless Israel stops these provocative works immediately, it will be a matter of time before the mosque collapses," said Youssef Al-Natshe, an archaeological expert on Jerusalem's Haram Al-Sharif compound. "In fact, we are already beginning to see cracks in the building, and that is a bad omen." Israeli authorities Monday claimed to have halted digging in the area "for the time being". Sheikh Salah dismissed the Israeli claim as "a big lie". "Am I going to believe them and disbelieve my eyes?" he asked.
