VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTVA #0455 0401605
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091605Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS TEL AVIV 000455 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAL KWBG IS
SUBJECT: CHIEF ARCHEOLOGIST DESCRIBES MUGHRABI GATE 
EXCAVATION 
 
REF: A. TEL AVIV 441 
     ¶B. JERUSALEM 252 
     ¶C. AMMAN 585 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: CHIEF JERUSALEM ARCHEOLOGIST FOR THE ISRAEL 
ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY, BARUCH YUVAL, TOLD POLOFFS FEBRUARY 8 
THAT THE NEW EXCAVATIONS OUTSIDE THE TEMPLE MOUNT/HARAM 
AL-SHARIF COMPLEX IN JERUSALEM,S OLD CITY (REFTELS) HAD BEEN 
PLANNED OPENLY AND IN CONSULTATION WITH ALL INTERESTED 
PARTIES.  THE EXCAVATION WAS INTENDED TO SALVAGE ANY 
SIGNIFICANT ANTIQUITIES THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE BE DAMAGED BY 
CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW ACCESS RAMP FOR THE MUGHRABI GATE. 
THE SALVAGE WORK SHOULD LAST 8-12 MONTHS, HE SAID, AND WOULD 
NOT APPROACH CLOSER THAN ABOUT TEN METERS FROM THE TEMPLE 
MOUNT/HARAM AL-SHARIF WALLS.  THE NEW RAMP WILL BE SUPPORTED 
BY SEVEN PILLARS AND WILL DESCEND FROM THE MUGHRABI GATE TO A 
POINT NEAR THE DUNG GATE ENTRANCE TO THE JEWISH QUARTER IN 
THE OLD CITY.  AS IT DESCENDS FROM THE MUGHRABI GATE, IT WILL 
FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE OLD STONE RAMP (DEEMED UNSAFE IN 
2004), BUT EXTEND BEYOND THE POINT AT WHICH THE OLD RAMP 
ENDED IN ORDER TO REACH A SPOT CLOSER TO THE DUNG GATE.  THE 
HEAVY EQUIPMENT OBSERVED AT THE SITE WAS ONLY TO REMOVE THE 
TOP LAYER OF ARCHITECTURALLY INSIGNIFICANT CONCRETE AND SOIL, 
HE SAID, AND THERE WAS NO RISK TO THE STABILITY OF THE HARAM 
AL-SHARIF/TEMPLE MOUNT.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------------------------------ 
THE PLAN: LONG RAMP, LIGHT FOOTPRINT 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) IN RESPONSE TO PM ADVISOR SHALOM TOURGEMAN,S INVITATION 
TO THE AMBASSADOR (REF. A), THE EMBASSY ALSO INVITED CONGEN 
JERUSALEM POLOFF TO A MEETING FEBRUARY 8 WITH BARUCH YUVAL, 
CHIEF JERUSALEM-AREA ARCHEOLOGIST FOR THE ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES 
AUTHORITY (IAA), TO GET A BRIEFING ON THE IAA,S EXCAVATION 
WORK OUTSIDE THE MUGHRABI GATE ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE 
MOUNT/HARAM AL-SHARIF (REFTELS).  YUVAL SHOWED POLOFFS AN 
ARCHITECTURAL PLAN (FORWARDED TO NEA/IPA) FOR THE NEW 
MUGHRABI GATE ACCESS RAMP BEING CONSTRUCTED TO REPLACE A 
TEMPORARY WOODEN RAMP THAT WAS INSTALLED AFTER THE ORIGINAL 
EARTH AND STONE RAMP (CONSTRUCTED BY ISRAEL AFTER THE 1967 
WAR) COLLAPSED IN 2004.  THE NEW PEDESTRIAN RAMP WILL DESCEND 
FROM THE MUGHRABI GATE TO A POINT NEAR THE DUNG GATE ENTRANCE 
TO THE JEWISH QUARTER IN THE OLD CITY, A DISTANCE OF SOME 
130-140 METERS, ACCORDING TO YUVAL.  AS IT DESCENDS FROM THE 
MUGHRABI GATE, IT WILL FOLLOW THE PATH OF THE OLD STONE RAMP, 
BUT EXTEND BEYOND THE POINT AT WHICH THE OLD RAMP ENDED IN 
ORDER TO REACH A SPOT CLOSER TO THE DUNG GATE.  SEVEN PILLARS 
ANCHORED IN BEDROCK WILL SUPPORT THE RAMP.  YUVAL SAID THE 
IAA VETOED THE FIRST TWO PLANS PROVIDED BY THE PROJECT 
ARCHITECT BECAUSE, WHILE SHORTER, THE EARLIER PLANNED RAMPS 
WOULD HAVE RISKED UNNECESSARY DAMAGE TO ARTIFACTS IN THE 
ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK ADJACENT TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT/HARAM 
AL-SHARIF.  YUVAL ALSO NOTED THAT NEW LAWS TO DEFEND THE 
RIGHTS OF THE DISABLED REQUIRED A MORE GRADUAL SLOPE (FOR 
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS), AND THUS A LONGER RAMP. 
 
--------------- 
THE EXCAVATIONS 
--------------- 
 
¶3. (U) UNDER ISRAELI LAW, ANY CONSTRUCTION IN THE OLD CITY MUST 
BE PRECEDED BY AN ARCHEOLOGICAL SALVAGE OPERATION CONDUCTED 
BY THE IAA.  YUVAL SAID THAT WHILE THE IAA OPERATION AT THE 
SITE OF THE OLD RAMP JUST STARTED THIS WEEK, SALVAGE 
EXCAVATIONS UNDER THE AREA OF THE PLANNED RAMP NEAR THE DUNG 
GATE HAVE BEEN UNDERWAY FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.  HE NOTED 
THAT THE IAA WAS ONLY PLANNING TO EXCAVATE IN THE AREAS WHERE 
THE SEVEN SUPPORT PILLARS ARE TO BE ANCHORED IN BEDROCK.  THE 
EXCAVATION AT THESE POINTS WILL REACH A DEPTH OF 24-25 METERS 
 
AND WILL LAST APPROXIMATELY 8-12 MONTHS, HE SAID.  ASKED 
ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF LARGE EARTH-MOVING EQUIPMENT AT THE 
SITE, YUVAL SAID THE EQUIPMENT WAS BEING USED ONLY TO REMOVE 
THE TOP 1/2-2 METERS OF (ARCHEOLOGICALLY INSIGNIFICANT) 
CONCRETE AND SOIL THAT HAD FORMED THE TOP LAYERS OF THE OLD 
RAMP.  YUVAL ALSO NOTED THAT THE DIGGING WOULD NOT GET CLOSER 
THAN APPROXIMATELY TEN METERS TO THE WALLS OF THE TEMPLE 
MOUNT/HARAM AL-SHARIF. 
 
¶4. (U) ASKED HOW THE IAA WOULD DETERMINE THE RELATIVE 
CONSERVATION VALUE OF THE MANY ARTIFACTS THEY ARE LIKELY TO 
DISCOVER, YUVAL SAID HE WOULD TAKE EACH CASE INDIVIDUALLY. 
HE SAID THAT THE IAA WOULD NOT PRIVILEGE THE ANTIQUITIES OF 
ANY RELIGION OVER ANY OTHER.  IN EXCAVATING TO BEDROCK AROUND 
THE SEVEN PLANNED SUPPORT PILLARS, THE ARCHEOLOGISTS WOULD 
DIG THROUGH SIGNIFICANT MUSLIM, CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH (SECOND 
TEMPLE) SITES.  IN THE END, HE SAID, THE IAA WOULD REMOVE AND 
PRESERVE WHICHEVER ARTIFACTS IT DEEMED MOST HISTORICALLY 
SIGNIFICANT. 
 
------------ 
COORDINATION 
------------ 
 
¶5. (U) ASKED ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE IAA AND GOI HAD 
COORDINATED THE WORK WITH THE JERUSALEM WAQF AND THE 
JORDANIANS, YUVAL SAID THE PROJECT HAD ALREADY BEEN DELAYED 
BY ONE YEAR IN ORDER TO ALLOW FURTHER CONSULTATION.  SAYING 
THAT HE COULD NOT SPEAK FOR THE GOI OR JERUSALEM 
MUNICIPALITY, YUVAL SAID THE IAA, FOR ITS PART, HAD STARTED 
PUBLICLY DISCUSSING THE SALVAGE OPERATION TWO YEARS AGO.  HE 
STRESSED THAT THE PROCESS HAD BEEN OPEN AND THAT THE IAA HAD 
BEEN WILLING TO DISCUSS THE PROJECT WITH ANY INTERESTED 
PARTY.  WHILE THE WORK WOULD CONTINUE, HE NOTED THAT THE 
GOVERNMENT WAS CONSIDERING INSTALLING WEB CAMERAS AT THE SITE 
SO THE WORLD COULD WATCH AND JUDGE THE WORK FOR ITSELF. 
 
¶6. (SBU) COMMENT: WHILE WE DO NOT DOUBT THAT THE IAA BELIEVES 
IT MANAGED AN ACTIVE AND OPEN CONSULTATION PROCESS, WE DID 
NOT HEAR ANYTHING TO SUGGEST THAT THE IAA OR GOI ACTIVELY 
SOUGHT ARAB OR ISLAMIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS. 
"CONSULTATION" IN THIS CASE MAY HAVE BEEN OPEN BUT NOT 
PROACTIVE.  END COMMENT. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
VISIT EMBASSY TEL AVIV'S CLASSIFIED WEBSITE: 
HTTP://WWW.STATE.SGOV.GOV/P/NEA/TELAVIV 
 
YOU CAN ALSO ACCESS THIS SITE THROUGH THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S 
CLASSIFIED SIPRNET WEBSITE. 
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