'Stop Wakf from destroying Foundation Stone'

Temple Mount Faithful tells High Court construction work is damaging holy Jewish artifacts.

By MELANIE LIDMAN
Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount 390 (photo credit: Ilan Evyatar)
Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount 390
(photo credit: Ilan Evyatar)
Activist group Temple Mount Faithful filed an emergency petition with the High Court of Justice on Monday to stop construction work at the Temple Mount, which they claim is damaging holy Jewish artifacts.
According to chairman Gershon Salomon, Wakf Muslim religious trust officials who are conducting renovations at the Temple Mount have built scaffolding over the Foundation Stone, which was part of the Holy of Holies in the Temple.
Jewish tradition holds that the Ark of the Covenant rested on this stone in the First and Second Temple Periods.
Salomon said that the workers carrying out renovations on the Dome of the Rock are using the stone as a workbench, resting buckets of building materials on it and causing damage to one of Judaism’s holiest relics.
“For years, they’ve been building and therefore destroying Jewish history [on the Temple Mount], and they did terrible things over the years,” said Salomon. “There is a feeling that the sovereignty of Israel and our laws are not honored there, there’s no stopping them… But this is the worst thing that they’ve done.”
The Wakf did not return multiple calls requesting comment.
The petition requests that the Dome of the Rock be completely closed to visitors, including Muslim worshipers, while Israeli authorities investigate any damage – a move that is highly unlikely. Salomon has been banned from the Temple Mount for over 20 years due to incitement.
On July 23, the Knesset Control Committee will discuss the aspects of the annual State Comptroller’s Report that dealt with the Temple Mount, including security and unsupervised building. These sections of the annual report are not available to the public.