When Israel occupied the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem, including the Old City, in 1967, it started implementing its plan of changing the Arab character of the city to reflect a more Jewish view. Many excavation operations have been carried out, especially in the southern and western parts of Al-Aqsa Plaza, ^[1]and many tunnels have been dug under the walls of the Old City. Furthermore, many buildings and facilities.^[2] have been destroyed, many of which without valid explanation. Israeli reasoning and methodology will be explored in this article

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Background

In the years of 1967-1968, Israeli occupation of the Old City of Jerusalem began. With the occupation came the extensive excavations in the southern and western parts of Al-Aqsa Plaza.^[3] Some of these excavations went deep enough to uncover Roman and early Islamic remains from as far back as the Middle Ages. ^[4]

Dozens of excavations were uncovered by Jerusalemites under and around the Old City. The Western Tunnel, also known as the Jebusite or Al-Buraq Tunnel, is the most famous of the excavations,^{[5] because of its history and its measurements, as it is 450m long with a height of 2.5m.[6] Israel started working on this tunnel, located under the Ottoman Court and next to the Western Wall, in 1970.[7]} In 1987 a water channel was uncovered in that tunnel, and Israelis tried to continue digging. They had to stop. however, because of Palestinian resistance. Still, in 1996, Israel secretly continued working on the tunnel, which led to violent clashes with the Palestinians. This resulted in the murder of 88 Palestinian youth.^[8] In addition to the aforementioned, many other tunnels were dug or are currently being dug under and around the Old City. Some of the tunnels almost reached the Dome of the Rock, such as the Qattanin Gate Tunnel in 1981, however they were stopped by the Palestinian Endowment Authority, who filled the tunnels with concrete.^[9]

Reasons Behind the Excavations

The excavations are carried out as part of the continuous search for remains of the First and Second Temples that were allegedly built where the Dome of the Rock stands today..^[10] Others argue that the main reason Israel carries out excavations under and around Al-Aqsa is its desire to ultimately cause the destruction of both the mosque and the Islamic and historical buildings around it by weakening their bases, using the story of the temples only as a guise.
.^[11]

Israel is planning to build a religious city under Al-Aqsa Plaza, which would be used for tourism purposes, while it prepares to rebuild the Third Temple.^[12] This plan was disclosed to the public by Israel itself back during the Camp David negotiations with the Arab leaders in 2000. The Israeli negotiation team expressed its interest in the area beneath Al-Aqsa, stating that they would leave the upper level for the Muslims.^[13]

Overall, Israel has a number of reasons as to why they carry out the aforementioned excavations. Some are historical, such as focusing on finding pieces of Jewish history in the region, while some of them are religious, such as rebuilding the holy temples. Finally, some are political, as Israelis aim to change the cultural and religious character of the Arab and Muslim parts of the Holy City^.[14]

Effects of the Excavations on the City

Excavations resulted in the cracks in the infrastructure of historical buildings, which led to the collapse of portions of said buildings. These issues even affected Al-Aqsa Mosque and its facilities, so much so that experts in the field warn that an earthquake with a magnitude of five would lead to the complete destruction of the mosque. ^[15] In addition, the excavations work as a form of practical control over the occupied land by aiding in judaizing the city, establishing more settlements, and replacing the Islamic and Arab history with a Jewish one.^[16]

Destruction plan around Al-Aqsa

One might think that the excavations are limited to the many tunnels under and around Al-Aqsa. This is only part of the scary truth, however. Even earlier than 1967, Israel had been destroying the Arab buildings in the city. One of the earliest landmarks to be destroyed was the Moroccan Quarter in the Old City..^[17] A total of 135 Palestinian homes were destroyed, resulting in the expulsion of 650 Palestinian Muslims.^[18]

The Israeli authorities are also changing the historical and religious character of the city by modernizing the city in such a way that presents Israel as the sovereign owner of the city. For example, a historical religious school in the southern part of the city has been updated and is now being used as a training center for Israeli border patrol..^[19]

After Israel carries out their excavation operations, Palestinians attempt to repair the foundations that have been damaged in the process. Israel denies the Palestinian Endowment Authority the right to make these repairs, maintaining that the damage is irreparable and that the buildings are going to collapse despite any repairs..^[20]This has happened repeatedly in the past, and the Israeli refusal to allow the restoration of Al-Marwani Mosque in 2004 and the Al-Mughrabie Gate in 2007 are examples.^[21]

Israeli Denial

Israel, under international pressure and condemnation, has been denying the existence of any excavations.^[22] while refusing to allow any international committee under the UN to enter and investigate .^[23] This denial is refuted by the facts on the ground, which are recorded, photographed and shared by Jerusalemites and international activists who gain access to the tunnels. In the past, especially in the 1970s, Israel was not ashamed to declare its real intentions in carrying out its “sacred mission.” This was reported by Yedioth Ahronoth, one of Israel’s official news papers.^[24] The report held that the government’s intention to uncover the Wailing Wall was a “historical and sacred mission” that would also “diminish [the] buildings around it.” This was reassured by Moshe Dayan, Minister of Defense in 1971.^[25]

The Reaction of the International Community

When the excavations began in the 1960s and 70s, the international community opposed the Israeli excavations and considered them a crime for which Israel had to be punished. Kathleen Kenyon, who was on an archaeological mission sponsored by the British government to Jerusalem, considered the Israeli excavations in the Old City a major crime and called upon the international community to stop the systematic destruction of the character of the city.^[26]

The Reaction of the United Nations

The three main bodies of the United Nations (the Security Council, the General Assembly, and UNESCO) have been condemning the Israeli archeological excavations in the Old City ever since the excavations started in 1967, and repeatedly requested Israel to desist from altering the features of Jerusalem’s historical and cultural character. The UN also repeatedly called on Israel to preserve the historical and religious heritage of Jerusalem..^[27]The UN Security Council addressed the issue in many of its resolutions,^[28]in which it considered the Israeli measures, including the excavations that intended to change the status of Jerusalem void and null.^[29]

UN General Assembly in many of its resolutions ^[30] condemned the Israeli transformation of Jerusalem’s historical, cultural and religious sites in an attempt to change the city’s status and identity.^[31]
UNESCO has long expressed its condemnation of the Israeli actions in Jerusalem, especially those which aim at changing the status of the city.^[32] UNESCO even went as far as listing Jerusalem on its Endangered World Heritage List. Many resolutions were passed ^[33] in which the UNESCO expressed its concerns and condemnation of the archeological works of Israel including the excavations under and around Al-Aqsa compound.^[34]Moreover, UNESCO requested the appointment of a permanent representative of the UN to be stationed in East Jerusalem^[35]   After many futile attempts by UNESCO to ask Israel to stop its illegal actions in Jerusalem, including the excavations, UNESCO decided to cut its financial aid to Israel. This had some negative impacts, however, as the US responded by cutting aid to UNESCO to pressure them into easing up on Israel.^[36]

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Picture 1 https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yenisafak.com%2Far%2Fworld%2F3413710&psig=AOvVaw2yhWhZiBx9hEL-iuekVml8&ust=1569958843774596

Picture 2 excavation 3 https://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2017/03/15/1028934.html

Picture 3 excavation 4 https://www.sasapost.com/excavations-al-aqsa-mosque/

What is Judaization?

Judaization is a policy through which the Israeli government aims to drive out any non-Jewish religious influences in Jerusalem in order to reinforce the Israeli claim to the area.

This policy includes the significant alteration or destruction of various landmarks that are holy, historical, or cultural in nature.^[1]

Judaization policy has been recognized by international community represented by the UN which usually refers to the policy either by its name as in the “International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem” organized regularly by UN Palestinian Rights Committee, a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly,^[2] or by the statement “changing the legal, physical, demographic and institutional status and characteristics of Jerusalem” which is entirely or partly used by the UN General Assembly and Security Council resolutions related to East Jerusalem.^[3] This extensive policy has included attempts to international support, issuing local laws, changing the city’s geography and demography, and presenting goals as a fait accompli and finally declare the city Israel’s Capital.^[4]

Judaizing Jerusalem’s population occurs through a systematic change in demographics by which Arab inhabitants are replaced with Israeli Jews and includes the following methods:

• Confiscation of Arab lands in the city. For example, the Israeli government confiscated more than 700 buildings and facilities in the old city of Jerusalem most of which belong to the Islamic endowment,^[5] especially the lands of absentee Palestinians.^[6]
• Expelling Palestinians from their neighborhoods and displacing them. More than 6 thousand Palestinian were expelled from the old city of Jerusalem to build the Jewish neighborhood there.^[7] on June 10th, 1967 just after the six day war, Israel demolished 130 Palestinian houses that formed what was known as the Moroccan Quarter in the old city of Jerusalem. the 700 year old neighborhood of Mughrabi was demolished to maintain a huge open area in front of the Buraq Wall, wailing wall according to Israelis, to make a center for the Jewish life in the old city.^[8]
• Narrowing the screws on Arab Jerusalemites and reducing employment opportunities to push them to emigrate.^[9] this comes as a result of a systematic discriminatory policy against Jerusalemite Palestinians who are merely considered residents of Jerusalem but not citizens of Palestine nor of Israel. This case of statelessness is depriving them from many rights including the economic ones and pushing them to flee Jerusalem to Ramallah or even abroad. ^[10]
• Building Jewish settlements in the city and around it. Hundreds of housing units were built in the old city for Israeli Jews along with houses of worship, public facilities, and commercial centers only for Jews, whereas Palestinians were forbidden to live or own houses in the original Jewish neighborhood in the old city.^[11] Settlements built on Arab lands such as Har Homa on Mount Abu Ghneim lands, Maali Adumim on Abu Dees lands, Zeev Pisgat on Hizma and Bait Hanina lands, Riches Shafat on Shua’fat lands strengthened the Jewish presence in the city at the expense of the Arab one.^[12]
• Isolating a number of the city’s neighborhoods, like Al-Ram, Abu Dees, Al-Aizareiah, from the city with the Israeli West Bank Barrier, known also as Apartheid wall or Wall of Separation, and considering them seperate areas whose inhabitants are forbidden from entering Jerusalem except under Israeli surveillance.,^[13]
• Revoking and denying the residency rights of Arab Jerusalemites: More than 14,595 Jerusalemite identity cards were revoked between the years 1967 and 2007 in Jerusalem.^[14]

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