Report: Israel trying to 'Judaize' Temple Mount

Turkish mission sent to inspect Israeli excavations near temple Mount claims digs destroy Muslim character of site, Old City, says Israel fails to cooperate with Muslim Waqf. Foreign Minister responds: UNESCO report on digs disproves claims against Israel
Smadar Peri

The Israeli digs in the Temple Mount reflect disregard for Jerusalem's cosmopolitan character, crudely violate international historical legacy laws and represent a pre-planned effort to destroy the Muslim nature of the holy site and the Old City, a report compiled by a Turkish mission sent to supervise the excavations claimed.

The Turkish team, which visited Israel in March, also blamed Israel for deliberately attempting to harm sites considered holy by millions of Muslims, and for conducting "unnecessary" digs near the Mugrabi Gate.

Large parts of the report were published by Turkish daily al-Zaman this weekend. According to the newspaper, the commission had already submitted its conclusions in July, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to postpone the report's publication due to diplomatic concerns. More...