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Source: The Royal
Jordanian Committee on Jerusalem:
A strongly worded report
prepared by the General Secretariat of the Royal Committee for
Jerusalem’s Affairs (RJC), warns from a “possible religious war
between Muslims and Jews” over potential dangers threatening the
southern wall of al-Aqsa Mosque.
In the report published
December 2002, titled “ The Danger Threatening the Southern Wall of
al-Aqsa Mosque,” the RJC quoted foreign experts as expecting: -
-The
eruption of a religious war between Muslims and Jews over the
collapse of the wall and Al Marwani mosque, God forbid.
According to the Muslim Waqf
(MW), the report of the RJC went on saying: -
The Muslim circles warn of
the Jewish intentions, which the Jews themselves hide. The MW
indicate that the wall is vulnerable to collapse as of a Jewish
sabotage at time befit Jews for achieving their hidden aims of
destroying al-Aqsa, and building the alleged Temple. It says the
danger is not imminent and its collapsing spontaneously has been
precluded for the near future.
Dr. Ahmad Hlayyel, the
Jordanian minister of Al-Awkaf and Islamic Affairs, said on
Thursday, “Palestine is a fundamental and pivotal issue, and
Jerusalem is the object of hope for all Muslims, and a trust for the
Muslim nation. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is honored to
contribute in the responsibility of the custody and preservation [of
Jerusalem holy places] in coordination with Arab and Muslim states”.
He indicated through a press
conference that various Israeli parties had intervened in the works
of restorations at al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, but the
resolve of the Ministry of Al-Awkaf prevent these interferences,
stressing that the most important and dangerous issue is the
southern wall of al- Aqsa, or the cracks that have surfaced on the
wall.
He announced that his
ministry, under the directions of HM the King, began since August,
through a highly specialized technical team headed by Engineer Raef
Najem, vice president of the RJC [and a former cabinet member,
working on the wall by taking samples from it.
At the same press
conference, Eng. Najem said that “ the Israeli media, starting July
2001 till now, has aroused an uproar over the
Southern wall of al-Aqsa,
claiming that it would fall down in a matter of months or even a
year. The Jordanian government has expressed interest on the matter
and upon directions by HMK Abdullah II, it was decided that the
Minister of Awkaf should head a team of the RJC and go there. On
August the team extracted by means of the electrical drilling five
samples of the affected parts of the wall; each sample was of 15 cm
of diameter and 2.4 meters long. The affected part of the wall is 25
cm of diameter and 10 meters high. The area of the bulge is 60 sq
meters only. But the Israeli press claimed that the area of the
bulge had amounted to one meter. Needless to say that this is
unrealistic, as no stone would swell for one whole meter without
falling down. According to the RJC’s report the bulge was –at most-
of 36 cm sandwiched in enclosed area; only few stones of it, and the
rest of the bulge ranges from 1-20 cm.”
Najem called upon Arab and
Muslim media to expose the Israeli practices.
On his part Hlayyel said
that, “We rejected any interference on part of the authorities at
Jerusalem to look or even to be present at the scaffolding; we
rejected any supervising, and we don’t wan other parties to
interfere in the renovation.”
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