ISRAEL: A new underground museum in Jerusalem's Old City provokes objection from Muslim authorities.

A new underground museum Israel has opened to the public in the highly sensitive Old City of Jerusalem is designed to lead the visitor through the Jewish 'Chain of Generations' but has drawn fire from Muslims who say the project endangers the foundations of the holy city. The 'Chain of Generations' museum is parallel to Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall, and is in proximity to Al-Aqsa Shrine compound, the third holiest site to Muslims who have long opposed Israeli excavations in the area, asserting it could weaken al-Haram al-Sharif's foundations. It took over 10 years to construct the site that was recently opened to visitors for the first time. Among the attractions is a Jewish ritual bath dating to the first century which was discovered during building work. The visitor is led through the winding tunnel between glass structures that protect the ancient findings as well as symbolise various landmarks of the Jewish history. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowich, Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites in Jerusalem told Reuters the museum illustrates the connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem throughout the centuries. "During the generations the people of Israel aspired (to be) here, or prayed towards here or cast his eyes towards here. In the new centre we are giving the message that we are in a tunnel of generations we are all a link in the chain of generations that its centre is Jerusalem, its centre is Temple Mount," he said. But Adnan Hosseini, a Spokesman for the Waqf, the Islamic Trust in Jerusalem that administrates the al-Aqsa compound, say the new tunnel harms Muslim rights in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel's opening of an archaeological tunnel near al-Aqsa compound, where the biblical Jewish Temple once stood, sparked Palestinian anger in 1996 and resulted with 61 Arabs and 15 Israeli soldiers killed. No riots have erupted due to the Chain of Generations yet, but Hosseini still considers it as offending to Muslims. "We are against it because we are the owner or the owners of these properties, we are against it because all the time it make damages for the upper part of the buildings above the tunnel, we are against it because it's illegal according to the international legitimacy: this is occupied land and the occupier should just manage and administrate the issue until the occupation will go and they should not do anything like they are doing now," he told Reuters in his Jerusalem office. But Rabbi Rabinowich said the whole site did not run under the Muslim compound and did not endanger its foundations. Furthermore, he explained that according to the Jewish Halacha (religious law) the site is considered so holy that Jews nowadays are not 'pure' enough to walk into it nor to dig under it. "This is an absurd claim, even strange and I will say untrue," Rabbi Rabinowich said in reaction to Hosseini's accusation. "It has one purpose: to incite, to hurt, to try and inflame the holy basin, the Old City and not to maintain the peace and calm here," he added. While the religious authorities continue to struggle over the holy sites, visitors enjoy the underground dimmed museum. "I think it's very strong because in this little time you see a lot of history, it's very important," said Daniel, a tourist from Argentina, after leaving the site. "We feel very special, very exciting and it's a summary of our history that was so strong," added his friend Mayra.

ITN Source | November 4, 2006

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