The Israel Antiquities Authority is considering removing Temple Mount antiquities that rioters have displaced. Rocks and pieces of smashed artifacts have been used as weapons during recent riots, and some were used to block visitors' paths designated for Jews.
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In a recent letter to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton, and Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, attorney and chairman of the Temple Mount Organizations Aviad Visoli claims that the destruction of antiquities on the Temple Mount was similar to the damage the Islamic State did to antiquities at Palmyra when they controlled the city during the Syrian war.
"What our people have seen following the riots on the Temple Mount on Friday and Saturday, April 15-16, 2022, was horrifying. The riots pulled out ancient stones, including sections of columns, and threw them around the Temple Mount," the letter reads.
"Hundreds of antiquities were thrown on the eastern path of the Temple Mount toward the Dome of the Rock, with the purpose of blocking the path to religious Jewish visitors who visit the Mount and circle the Dome of the Rock," it continues.
The attorney also says that "The intentional destruction of Temple Mount antiquities is a shocking phenomenon unprecedented in the history of Israel, which must be condemned unilaterally and prevented at any cost.
"The Temple Mount is the holiest place on earth to the Jewish people, and holy to other religions, as well. It cannot be that in a country governed by law, much less in Israel – as a Jewish, democratic state – the authorities will allow such damage. This is a loss of values of culture, religion, security, and sovereignty of the most serious kind."
Visoli argues that one of the main reasons why antiquities are being wrecked on the Temple Mount is the "state's lack of presence and control on the Mount."
"The Israeli government must ensure full presence on and control of the Temple Mount around the clock, both because the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Israel, and also for the sake of upholding cultural and historical values and the value of antiquities," he says.
Dr. Amit Re'em, the Jerusalem District archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority, responded to Visoli's letter, saying the IAA was handling the issue. Re'em stressed that most of the rocks photographed were modern, and only a few were actually archaeological remnants.
Re'em wrote that it would only be able to conduct a full assessment of damage to Temple Mount antiquities after Ramadan and the recent spate of violence were over. He noted that the IAA was keeping tabs on the situation.
Meanwhile, a senior IAA official confirmed to Israel Hayom that stones had been removed from an area near the Gate of Mercy, including some ancient artifacts. The official said that the IAA and the Waqf were cooperating on archaeological matters. However, the IAA is considering removing them from the Temple Mount to prevent such incidents from reoccurring.
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