MUGHRABI GATE: NEW PLANS CALL FOR EXPANSION OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 000171 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2013 TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KIRF KPAL JO IS SUBJECT: MUGHRABI GATE: NEW PLANS CALL FOR EXPANSION OF WESTERN WALL PLAZA AND CREATION OF PRAYER HALLS IN OTTOMAN AND MAMLUK REMAINS REF: A. JERUSALEM 89 (AND PREVIOUS) ¶B. 07 TEL AVIV 3593 (AND PREVIOUS) Classified By: DCM Luis Moreno for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Revised plans for construction of a new access ramp for the Mughrabi Gate of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif were deposited with the Interior Ministry for public review on December 27. A review of the plans indicates that in addition to constructing a new ramp, planners also intend to expand the women's area of the Western Wall plaza and, if possible, create Jewish prayer halls in the excavated remains of Ottoman and Mamluk structures. The driving force behind the project, Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch, told EmbOff that he expected the plans to be approved and construction to be completed by the end of May. Project archeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority John Seligman told PolOff that Jordan, UNESCO and the Waqf were now being consulted on the project, and that the current plans and any revisions would take their concerns into account. Seligman nevertheless expected tensions to rise once the plans are approved and excavation and construction work resumes. END SUMMARY. THE PLAN: SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE -------------- ¶2. (U) On December 27, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA),the Western Wall Heritage Foundation (WWHF) and the Jerusalem Municipality submitted a revised set of plans to the Interior Ministry's District Planning Council for construction of a new access ramp for the Mughrabi Gate of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount (Ref. A). The construction and conservation plans, reviewed by PolOff, indicate that in addition to constructing a new access ramp, the site will also be used to expand the size of the women's prayer section of the Western Wall plaza. The women's area, which was constricted by the collapse of the earlier access ramp, will be extended by approximately five meters to the south of its current southern boundary, into an area currently containing earth and the remaining structural rubble from the earlier ramp and the pre-1967 Mughrabi Quarter. ¶3. (U) The conservation plans for the rest of the site call for the preservation of existing Ottoman and Mamluk era structures. According to the plans, the IAA hopes to restore a number of collapsed or crumbling walls buried in the earth around the site, while removing the remains of unrestorable structures. The plans also indicate that the excavations will not extend any deeper than the Ottoman and a small amount of the Mamluk layers. The remains of earlier periods will be left underground and undisturbed. ¶4. (U) The draft regulations governing usage of the site also authorize the WWHF to "prepare and ready" the structures exposed by the excavations for use as "covered prayer halls." Doing so would create new spaces for Jews to perform religious observances in close proximity to the Western Wall, in the area under and adjacent to the Mughrabi Gate and the planned new access ramp. (Note: Prior to the earlier ramp's collapse, Jewish women used some of the remains of Mughrabi Quarter structures adjacent to the women's section of the Western Wall plaza as changing rooms and prayer spaces. End Note.) ¶5. (U) The design for the new access ramp itself is much more modest than earlier designs, and follows approximately the route of the former ramp. It appears to have been conceived in order to leave a minimal footprint on the underlying remains and in order not to obstruct the view of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif from the Western Wall plaza. WWHF: HOPING TO FINISH WORK BY END OF MAY -------------- ¶5. (C) Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places, and Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation (which falls under the nominal authority of the Prime Minister's Office),told EmbOff January 17 that while the excavations of the area beneath the Mughrabi ramp containing Ottoman and Mamluk houses had not yet produced antiquities of archeological importance, they would be preserved anyway due to requests from the Waqf and UNESCO. Rabinovitch said he believes the new plans will be authorized quickly, following the current 60-day public review period. He thought construction would commence in mid-March with the entire area completed by the end of May. It would be possible to complete the project quickly, he said, because the new ramp would be brought in fully constructed, TEL AVIV 00000171 002 OF 002 minimizing the amount of construction at the site itself. ¶6. (C) Rabinovitch confirmed that one consequence of the plans would be the expansion of the women's prayer area of the Western Wall plaza, although he emphasized that this was a secondary result of building the ramp safely with appropriate security precautions and not an aim of the project from the outset. Regarding the addition of prayer spaces beneath the ramp, Rabinovitch said that if possible, worshippers would be permitted to use the existing Ottoman and Mamluk houses as worship areas. He added that personally he would like to knock down the existing houses and create a new space, but commitments to UNESCO made that impossible. No building would be involved in this aspect of the plans and the existing Ottoman and Mamluk houses would be designated as additional areas for Jewish women to pray, if possible. The use of these areas as prayer spaces would take effect sometime after the ramp's inauguration. IAA: JORDAN AND UNESCO INVOLVED, BUT TENSIONS STILL LIKELY -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) IAA Archeologist John Seligman, who is in charge of the Mughrabi excavations, explained to PolOff January 17 that the new plans, while detailed, were still only at the "zoning" stage. Formal construction and conservation plans will be submitted only after approval of the conceptual plans currently under review. Seligman thought that the final plans would probably reflect slight modifications to incorporate input from UNESCO and the Jordanians. He commented, however, that the alternate Jordanian plan for the site -- which he said he reviewed during technical-level consultations between Israel, Jordan, the Waqf and UNESCO on January 13 -- was ironically "much more brutal" on the site's Ottoman and Mamluk antiquities than the Israeli plan. ¶8. (C) Asked about the plan for new Jewish prayer spaces, Seligman said he seriously doubted that there were enough salvageable structures remaining at the site to allow for the creation of prayer halls. Asked whether any of the buried structures at the site had Muslim religious significance, Seligman said no, and explained that the original three mosques in the area (al-Atalia, al-Tawahi'a, and al-Buraq) were demolished in 1967 when the Mughrabi neighborhood was razed. All that remains, he said, is a portion of the southernmost outer wall of one of the mosques, which in the site's conservation plans will form the boundary between the expanded women's area of the Western Wall plaza (to the north) and the excavated structures under the new access ramp (to the south). ¶9. (C) Seligman cautioned that he expected renewed controversy over the site once the visible excavations and construction work recommences. He thought the fact that Jordan, the Waqf and UNESCO were being consulted would not prevent other leaders in the Islamic world from organizing protests against the project. He singled out Sheikh Ra'ed Salah (the fiery leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement of Israel) as someone likely to incite protests against the project. (Note: Salah's incitement against the project in early 2006 helped spark protests throughout the Islamic world and riots on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount). ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** JONES