Middle East Monitor / January 13, 2023
Jerusalem Affairs researcher, Fakhri Abu Diyab, has revealed that the Israeli Occupation Authority (IOA) has accelerated its underground digging activities around Al-Aqsa Mosque, particularly on its southern and south-western sides, The Palestinian Information Centre reports.
SAFA news agency, quoted Abu Diyab, as saying that suspicious digging continues to take place noticeably and at an accelerating pace around Al-Aqsa Mosque, which threatens the mosque’s foundations, walls and ancient buildings.
The researcher affirmed that workers with construction and digging equipment can be easily seen in the targeted areas, working particularly on emptying mounds of dirt and debris from the sites.
“The areas being targeted by excavations and Judaization activities include the Umayyad Palaces, the Maghariba Gate, Al-Buraq Wall, the southern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, and the northern entrance of Silwan,” he said.
“These excavations have intensified since the beginning of the current year. We have never seen digging of such intensity and speed around Al-Aqsa Mosque before,” Abu Diyab added.
“As if the Occupation Authority is planning to carry out a pre-planned and dangerous action against Al-Aqsa Mosque, and perhaps to bring about fundamental changes in the area or prepare it for a Judaization scheme,” he warned.
