New archeological exhibit in Jerusalem

And predictably, Reuters focuses on the utterly unjustified Arab reaction -- without bothering to point out that the Islamic authorities they quote are blatantly guilty of precisely the offenses of which they so loudly (and so falsely) accuse the Israeli archeological establishment:

Israel has opened to the public an underground archaeological exhibit near Jerusalem's most sensitive shrine, drawing fire from Palestinians who say the project endangers the foundations of the holy site. . .

The "Chain of Generations Center" took over 10 years to construct and recently opened its doors to visitors for the first time. Among the attractions is a Jewish ritual bath dating to the 1st century which was discovered during building work.

The site runs parallel to Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall, in the Israeli-annexed Old City of Jerusalem. Palestinians have long opposed Israeli excavations in the area, asserting it could weaken al-Haram al-Sharif's foundations. . .

The Waqf, the Islamic Trust in Jerusalem administering al-Haram al-Sharif, voiced opposition to the new exhibit.

"These excavations are illegal," Waqf director Adnan Husseini told Reuters. "They are doing these things through power and force."

This is particularly rich, given the Waqf's own history of archeological destruction on and under the Temple Mount, as well as undermining of its structures. As is, the new center is "near", but still at a significant remove:

Banner said the whole site, including [the] ritual bath, did not run under al-Haram al-Sharif or endanger the shrine.

"We have not done any work in the direction of the Temple Mount," he said. "No damage can be caused as the site is at least 20 to 30 meters (65 to 95 feet) from the Western Wall."

Posted by David on September 21, 2006 11:19 AM