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First Phase: Towards
the end of 1967 and the beginning of 1968, extensive diggings were
carried out on an area of 70 square meters under the
southern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Second Phase: In 1069,
the diggings exceeded an area of 80 square metres adjacent
To
the wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These ongoing diggings caused a
serious undermining
of
the foundations of the adjacent building. Subsequently, the entire
Magharbah quarter was
demolished.
Third Phase: The
diggings carried out in 1970 resulted in serious cracks in the
foundation
of the Ottoman Mosque (Ribat Al-Kurd) and the
Jawhiriya School.
Fourth Phase: Israeli
diggings between 1972 and 1974 behind the wall of the Al-Aqsa and
extending across the southern wall of the Mosque and under the Mihrab pulpit and beneath
the Mosque of Omar.
Fifth Phase: The
diggings in the middle of the eastern side of the wall near the
Golden Gate,
where those diggings inflicted extensive damage upon an ancient
Islamic cemetery near
the site.
Sixth Phase: An
expansion of the area of the Wailing Wall designed to destroy all
the
buildings in the area surroundings the Wailing Wall. An Israeli
Ministerial Committee
endorsed in 1977 the implementation of this plan, which includes the
demolition of several
Islamic historic buildings, including the Old Islamic Shari's
Court, the Tankinazia School,
the Khalidiya Library, a charitable Zawiya (corner)
and the Abu-Median ancient Mosque.
Seventh Phase: The most
ominous and menacing of these continuous diggings perpetrated
by
the Israeli occupation authorities declared on 27 August 1981 that
they had discovered a
tunnel beneath the Wailing Wall and the holy Dome of the Rock which
extends between
both, as well as beneath the foundation of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The
occupation authorities
alleged that the tunnel had been discovered month before the
discovery was announced.
But
that the announcement had been withheld and kept secret after
informing the two chief
Rabbis of Israel as well as the Minister of Religious
Affairs and the Defense Minister.
The
Israeli officials visited the area and a requested that the matter
remained shrouded in
secrecy. However, the news reached the world media, which compelled
the Ministry of
Education to stop diggings and to close the tunnel in order to avoid
far-reaching Islamic
reactions.
However, the diggings did not in fact stop and were resumed when the
Israeli Supreme
Court issued a decision on 4 September which revoked the decision of
the Minister of
Education and permitted a resumption and completion of the diggings,
which were
resumed on 6 September.
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