An organization working to preserve Temple Mount antiquities warned this week that the antiques have suffered great damage lately, especially in the recent month of Ramadan, when Israeli control of the site diminished.
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Ahead of Jerusalem Day, Beyadenu – Returning to the Temple published a report in which it detailed the damage – some irreversible – following a series of examinations conducted by officials who consistently update the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Knesset, and the Culture and Sports Ministry.
One example listed in the report is the wooden beans which experts date back to the First and Second Temple Period, located at the Golden Gate, which was turned into a mosque under the control of the Muslim Waqf and the Palestinian Authority in February 2019. The beams are said to have been damaged due to use for sitting and drying laundry and carpets.
Moreover, on Qadr Night, the carpets in the Golden Gate complex were replaced and a new path was paved on top of ancient stones.
Neither of the instances included permits.
"The matter of damage and neglect of antiquities throughout the Temple Mount deprives me and many others of their sleep," Tom Ninasi, CEO of Beyadenu said in a statement. "Such lawlessness cannot continue, when every morning we have to report to the Antiquities Authority about some damage, disappearance, and neglect of antiquities that are of immense value to the Jewish people and all of humanity."
Ninasi urged a comprehensive reform in the matter, "including effective and continuous supervision."
Israel Hayom found out from sources involved in the matter that the Israel Police and the Antiquities Authority have been in talks to remove archeological items from the Temple Mount.
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