VZCZCXYZ0020
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJMA #0184 0301142
ZNY CCCCC ZZH ZUI RUEWMCE1366 0301210
P 301142Z JAN 07
FM AMCONSUL JERUSALEM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 000184 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE AND IPA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/2017 
TAGS: PREL KWBG PBTS KHUM KPAL IS
SUBJECT: EXCAVATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION NEAR HARAM AL 
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT CAUSE CONCERN 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: CONSUL GENERAL JAKE WALLES, PER REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY.  JERUSALEM ARCHAEOLOGISTS TOLD POLOFF 
JANUARY 26 THAT EXCAVATION AND CONSTRUCTION UNDER THE OHEL 
YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE IN THE MUSLIM QUARTER OF THE OLD CITY HAS 
BEEN HALTED, PENDING AN ISRAELI ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY (IAA) 
DECISION ABOUT A CRUSADER-ERA HALL BELOW THE SYNAGOGUE. 
THESE ARCHEOLOGISTS SAID THAT WHEN EXCAVATIONS RESUME, THEY 
WILL ONLY BE VERTICAL AND THAT HORIZONTAL EXCAVATIONS TOWARD 
THE WESTERN WALL AND THE HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT WILL BE 
PROHIBITED.  PALESTINIAN CONCERNS ABOUT EXCAVATION HAVE 
ALREADY SURFACED, APPARENTLY SPARKED BY A JANUARY 24 HA'ARETZ 
STORY.  PLC MEMBER FROM JERUSALEM, BERNARD SABELLA, WROTE THE 
CONSUL GENERAL JANUARY 25 TO EXPRESS CONCERN.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (C) POLOFF MET JANUARY 26 WITH DANNY SEIDEMANN, FOUNDER 
OF THE ISRAELI HUMAN RIGHTS NGO IR AMIM, AND DR. RAFI 
GREENBERG, A TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY ARCHAEOLOGIST, AND GIDON 
SULEIMAN, AN IAA ARCHAEOLOGIST.  THEY CONFIRMED THAT ATERET 
COHANIM IS SPONSORING VERTICAL EXCAVATIONS BELOW THE OHEL 
YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE.  (NOTE: THE SYNAGOGUE WAS ABANDONED IN 
1936 DURING THE ARAB REVOLT. IT IS LOCATED AT THE EDGE OF THE 
MUSLIM QUARTER.  THE WESTERN WALL PLAZA IS ABOUT 20 METERS TO 
THE SOUTH AND THE HARAM AL-SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT IS ABOUT 80 
METERS TO THE EAST.  ATERET COHANIM, AN ORGANIZATION WITH THE 
STATED GOAL OF PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH SITES IN 
THE OLD CITY, IS RESTORING THE SYNAGOGUE.)  SULEIMAN SAID THE 
EXCAVATIONS WERE HALTED WHILE THE IAA DETERMINES WHETHER TO 
ALLOW EXCAVATIONS TO CONTINUE PAST A 13TH CENTURY CRUSADER 
HALL LOCATED BENEATH THE SYNAGOGUE. HE SAID THAT HORIZONTAL 
EXCAVATIONS WERE NOT AUTHORIZED, AND EXCAVATIONS TO CLEAR 
FORMERLY OPEN SPACES; I.E., ROOMS, WERE NOT INTENDED TO 
TUNNEL TOWARDS THE WESTERN WALL. 
 
¶3. (C) GREENBERG SAID ATERET COHANIM ARE INTERESTED IN 
CONSTRUCTING TUNNELS TOWARDS THE WESTERN WALL TO CREATE AN 
AUTONOMOUS JEWISH NETWORK OF MOVEMENT BENEATH THE CITY. HE 
SAID THE CURRENT EXCAVATIONS, HOWEVER, ARE UNLIKELY TO 
ADVANCE THAT GOAL.  GREENBERG AND SULEIMAN SAID PAST 
EXCAVATIONS DAMAGED THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE HOMES 
ABOVE THE TUNNELS, AND SEIDEMANN SAID NONE OF THE PALESTINIAN 
HOMEOWNERS GRANTED PERMISSION TO EXCAVATE BENEATH THEIR 
HOMES. SULEIMAN SAID THAT ANY EXCAVATIONS TOO CLOSE TO THE 
HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT WOULD RISK DAMAGING THE 
STRUCTURE, BUT HE DOES NOT THINK THE ATERET COHANIM WILL 
UNDERTAKE SUCH EXCAVATIONS FOR NOW.  HE EXPRESSED CONCERN, 
HOWEVER, THAT THE HEIGHT OF THE SYNAGOGUE WHEN RESTORED WILL 
BE EQUAL IN HEIGHT TO THE WESTERN WALL AND TO THE HARAM AL 
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT AND THAT THIS COULD EXACERBATE TENSIONS. 
 
¶4.  (C) PALESTINIANS ARE ALREADY EXPRESSING CONCERN ABOUT THE 
EXCAVATIONS.  PLC MEMBER BERNARD SABELLA WROTE THE CONSUL 
GENERAL JANUARY 25 STATING HIS CONCERNS THAT THE EXCAVATIONS 
AND CONSTRUCTION AT THE OHEL YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE THREATEN THE 
AL AQSA MOSQUE.  SABELLA SAID HE VISITED THE EXCAVATIONS 
AFTER A JANUARY 24 HA'ARETZ ARTICLE ON THE SYNAGOGUE.  HE 
WROTE THAT THE IAA IS EXCAVATING ON BEHALF OF THE ATERET 
COHANIM AND THAT EXCAVATIONS HAVE PROCEEDED HORIZONTALLY AND 
VERTICALLY, ADVANCING 20 METERS TOWARDS THE HARAM AL 
SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT AND WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING A TUNNEL TO 
THE WESTERN WALL.  SABELLA EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE 
POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AL AQSA MOSQUE AND TO THE 
PALESTINIAN-OWNED HOMES ABOVE THE TUNNEL.  (COMMENT: 
POLOFF'S VISIT TO THE EXCAVATION SITE AND CONVERSATIONS WITH 
THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS SUGGEST THAT SABELLA IS OVERSTATING THE 
IMMEDIATE THREAT OF THE WORK AT THE OHEL YITZHAK SYNAGOGUE, 
BUT PALESTINIANS WILL SHARE HIS REACTIONS AND FEARS OF 
INTERFERENCE AT THE HARAM AL SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT, 
EXACERBATING CURRENT TENSIONS.  END COMMENT.) 
 
WALLES