Last Tuesday, Israel began excavation and construction work at a religious compound in the Old City of Jerusalem revered by both Muslims and Jews, causing an outpouring of protests and denunciations by Muslims in Palestine and around the world. This backgrounder examines the religious significance of Jerusalem to the three monotheistic faiths and assesses the current crisis.

The Dome of the Rock, in the Haram al-Sharif in the Old City of Jerusalem.

History

The old city of Jerusalem can be described as the world's greatest monument of monotheism. The holy sites of three faiths -- Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - nestle in the shadow of its great ramparts.

For Christians, Jerusalem is the site of some of early Christianity's holiest sites, including the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, believed to be the site of Jesus' burial. In addition to the countless churches and religious sites inside the Old City, Christian Palestinians resort to ecclesiastical courts and other institutions in the city that address other important social needs. The Old City is surrounded by sites where important events of Jesus' life took place, including the garden of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb.

For Muslims and Jews, the holy sites of greatest import intersect at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Jews worship at the Western or Wailing Wall, which they believe to be the only remaining wall of Herod's temple. The Western Wall is located in a part of the city known presently known as the Jewish quarter. Prior to the 1967 war, this part of the city was known as Haret Al-Magharbeh or the Moroccan quarter, and it was largely inhabited by Moroccan immigrants, many of whom were Muslims. Within one week of the occupation of East Jerusalem, all of the homes in the Moroccan quarter were leveled, creating an open plaza leading up to the Western Wall. The neighborhood overlooking this plaza was historically known as the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, where most of Jerusalem's native community of Sephardic Jews have lived for hundreds of years.

The Haram Al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, sits at the center of the Old City of Jerusalem, and can be accessed by several gates inside the old city, including the Mughrabi Gate in the Jewish quarter. This vast compound houses Islam's third holiest shrine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque. "al-Aqsa" is Arabic for "farthest" or "distant". This is the name granted to the mosque in the Qur'an. Chapter 17 verse 1 reads: "Glory to Allah, who took his servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose precincts we did bless, in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One who heareth and seeth all things." Muslims first faced towards Jerusalem and the "distant mosque" in their prayers, and only later began to face Mecca in their prayer.

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The mosque was built on the site where the Prophet Muhammad is said to have tied his winged horse, al-buraq, upon arrival in Jerusalem from Mecca. The Noble Sanctuary also houses the Dome of the Rock, whose golden dome and stunning aquamarine tile façade are the most striking feature of the Jerusalem skyline. The mosque was built in 691 AD by an Umayyad Caliph, over the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven on his winged horse, and returned the same night. Worshippers at the Dome of the Rock can pray beside the rock, or descend a narrow staircase to pray beneath the rock. All Muslim holy sites in the city are considered a waqf, the Arabic word denoting a religious endowment, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Awqaf, an independent religious institution that administers all Islamic endowments.

Where Political Conflict and History Intersect

Managing freedom and access of people of all three faiths to each and every one of these holy sites is an incredibly challenging task, especially in the light of the status of East Jerusalem as an occupied city. The Israeli military occupied the city at the end of the 1967 war, and has continued to do so for the past forty years. Muslims from all over Palestine used to congregate to attend Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, until Israel began restricting them from doing so. It is noteworthy that the current Intifada, or uprising, is known among Palestinians as the Al-Aqsa Intifada, and its beginning is marked by a visit from then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the Noble Sanctuary on September 29, 2000, accompanied by one thousand armed personnel. Most Palestinians saw this as an attempt to assert Israeli sovereignty over the Sanctuary. Confrontations between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli soldiers inside the Sanctuary ensued and tens of Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli snipers. Christian Palestinians also face restrictions in accessing the holy sites of Jerusalem, especially residents of the West Bank, who cannot enter Jerusalem without Israeli-issued permits.

In this climate of extreme tension, Israel has begun an eight month long project which it describes as a renovation of a collapsed ramp that leads up to the Mughrabi gate. The original earthen ramp was centuries old and collapsed three years ago in a snow storm. It was replaced by a temporary wooden ramp which is deemed unstable. The bridge that is being built however is a greatly expanded version of the original ramp. The American Task Force on Palestine reports that the original ramp was approximately 170 feet long and extended from the base of the Western Wall plaza up to the Mughrabi gate, whereas the new bridge will be approximately 450 feet long, and extend from the Southern Wall excavations near the Dung Gate.

In addition to creating a major territorial change in the area of the Western Wall plaza, the construction project aggravates the conflict further by potentially giving illegal access to Jewish religious extremists to the Islamic holy sites inside the Noble Sanctuary. Currently, all gates leading inside the Sanctuary are controlled by the Islamic Waqf authority, with the exception of the Mughrabi gate, which has been controlled by Israel since the 1967 occupation. Jewish extremists from organizations that call for the destruction of the Dome of the Rock regularly try and sometimes manage to trespass into the Sanctuary, in flagrant violation of the law. The Israeli construction project would provide even greater access to these organizations.

Israel's decision to begin the project has caused uproar in numerous circles, not just among the more outspoken Islamic groups inside Israel. The ATFP accurately points out that since Jerusalem's political status is as yet unresolved; the building project is "illegal, dangerous, and irresponsible." In addition to an outcry from Islamic groups in Palestine and worldwide, two Israeli political parties, Hadash and Balad, protested the project with no confidence votes in the Knesset, and described the bridge construction as a "provocation." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordanian King Abdullah II both expressed concern that the project could undermine "efforts to restore the peace process." 18 leading Israeli archaeologists have deemed the project unsound, and have voiced their concern about the damage it would cause to some of the most important archeological and religious sites in the world. On Sunday, Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski ordered a delay to the construction of the bridge, but excavation of the area continues. Yet this Tuesday, the Israeli Housing and Construction Ministry said, "the construction work would continue as planned," according to Haaretz.