EXCAVATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION NEAR HARAM AL

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000184

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2017
TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: EXCAVATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION NEAR HARAM AL
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT CAUSE CONCERN

CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, PER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY. JERUSALEM ARCHAEOLOGISTS TOLD POLOFF
JANUARY 26 THAT EXCAVATION AND CONSTRUCTION UNDER THE OHEL
YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER OF THE OLD CITY HAS
BEEN HALTED, PENDING AN ISRAELI ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY (IAA)
DECISION ABOUT A CRUSADER-ERA HALL BELOW THE SYNAGOGUE.
THESE ARCHEOLOGISTS SAID THAT WHEN EXCAVATIONS RESUME, THEY
WILL ONLY BE VERTICAL AND THAT HORIZONTAL EXCAVATIONS TOWARD
THE WESTERN WALL AND THE HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT WILL BE
PROHIBITED. PALESTINIAN CONCERNS ABOUT EXCAVATION HAVE
ALREADY SURFACED, APPARENTLY SPARKED BY A JANUARY 24 HA'ARETZ
STORY. PLC MEMBER FROM JERUSALEM, BERNARD SABELLA, WROTE THE
CONSUL GENERAL JANUARY 25 TO EXPRESS CONCERN. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) POLOFF MET JANUARY 26 WITH DANNY SEIDEMANN, FOUNDER
OF THE ISRAELI HUMAN RIGHTS NGO IR AMIM, AND DR. RAFI
GREENBERG, A TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGIST, AND GIDON
SULEIMAN, AN IAA ARCHAEOLOGIST. THEY CONFIRMED THAT ATERET
COHANIM IS SPONSORING VERTICAL EXCAVATIONS BELOW THE OHEL
YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE. (NOTE: THE SYNAGOGUE WAS ABANDONED IN
1936 DURING THE ARAB REVOLT. IT IS LOCATED AT THE EDGE OF THE
MUSLIM QUARTER. THE WESTERN WALL PLAZA IS ABOUT 20 METERS TO
THE SOUTH AND THE HARAM AL-SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT IS ABOUT 80
METERS TO THE EAST. ATERET COHANIM, AN ORGANIZATION WITH THE
STATED GOAL OF PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH SITES IN
THE OLD CITY, IS RESTORING THE SYNAGOGUE.) SULEIMAN SAID THE
EXCAVATIONS WERE HALTED WHILE THE IAA DETERMINES WHETHER TO
ALLOW EXCAVATIONS TO CONTINUE PAST A 13TH CENTURY CRUSADER
HALL LOCATED BENEATH THE SYNAGOGUE. HE SAID THAT HORIZONTAL
EXCAVATIONS WERE NOT AUTHORIZED, AND EXCAVATIONS TO CLEAR
FORMERLY OPEN SPACES; I.E., ROOMS, WERE NOT INTENDED TO
TUNNEL TOWARDS THE WESTERN WALL.


3. (C) GREENBERG SAID ATERET COHANIM ARE INTERESTED IN
CONSTRUCTING TUNNELS TOWARDS THE WESTERN WALL TO CREATE AN
AUTONOMOUS JEWISH NETWORK OF MOVEMENT BENEATH THE CITY. HE
SAID THE CURRENT EXCAVATIONS, HOWEVER, ARE UNLIKELY TO
ADVANCE THAT GOAL. GREENBERG AND SULEIMAN SAID PAST
EXCAVATIONS DAMAGED THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE HOMES
ABOVE THE TUNNELS, AND SEIDEMANN SAID NONE OF THE PALESTINIAN
HOMEOWNERS GRANTED PERMISSION TO EXCAVATE BENEATH THEIR
HOMES. SULEIMAN SAID THAT ANY EXCAVATIONS TOO CLOSE TO THE
HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT WOULD RISK DAMAGING THE
STRUCTURE, BUT HE DOES NOT THINK THE ATERET COHANIM WILL
UNDERTAKE SUCH EXCAVATIONS FOR NOW. HE EXPRESSED CONCERN,
HOWEVER, THAT THE HEIGHT OF THE SYNAGOGUE WHEN RESTORED WILL
BE EQUAL IN HEIGHT TO THE WESTERN WALL AND TO THE HARAM AL
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT AND THAT THIS COULD EXACERBATE TENSIONS.


4. (C) PALESTINIANS ARE ALREADY EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE
EXCAVATIONS. PLC MEMBER BERNARD SABELLA WROTE THE CONSUL
GENERAL JANUARY 25 STATING HIS CONCERNS THAT THE EXCAVATIONS
AND CONSTRUCTION AT THE OHEL YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE THREATEN THE
AL AQSA MOSQUE. SABELLA SAID HE VISITED THE EXCAVATIONS
AFTER A JANUARY 24 HA'ARETZ ARTICLE ON THE SYNAGOGUE. HE
WROTE THAT THE IAA IS EXCAVATING ON BEHALF OF THE ATERET
COHANIM AND THAT EXCAVATIONS HAVE PROCEEDED HORIZONTALLY AND
VERTICALLY, ADVANCING 20 METERS TOWARDS THE HARAM AL
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT AND WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING A TUNNEL TO
THE WESTERN WALL. SABELLA EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE
POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AL AQSA MOSQUE AND TO THE
PALESTINIAN-OWNED HOMES ABOVE THE TUNNEL. (COMMENT:
POLOFF'S VISIT TO THE EXCAVATION SITE AND CONVERSATIONS WITH
THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS SUGGEST THAT SABELLA IS OVERSTATING THE
IMMEDIATE THREAT OF THE WORK AT THE OHEL YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE,
BUT PALESTINIANS WILL SHARE HIS REACTIONS AND FEARS OF
INTERFERENCE AT THE HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT,
EXACERBATING CURRENT TENSIONS. END COMMENT.)

WALLES