Mughrabi Bridge

Until 2004, direct access to the Temple Mount for non-Muslim visitors was opened through the Mughrabi gate through an elevated ramp to them, which also served as a wall-fence of the southern part of the female half of the Western Wall ^[3] . In February 2004, after the landslide, a 800-year-old wall adjoining the Mughrabi gate partially collapsed, supporting a part of the hill adjacent to the Western Wall; according to the Israeli authorities, the reason for this could have been a small earthquake that happened shortly before ^{[4] [5]} . As a result, there was a danger of a ramp collapsing. The ramp became unsafe, and on February 14, 2004 - three days after the earthquake - the abundant (by Israeli standards) snowfall really led to its collapse ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]} . According to the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the passage was destroyed by “excavations carried out by the Israeli occupation authorities under the Aqsa mosque”, which were condemned by this organization ^[8] .

In 2007, the Office of Antiquities of Israel (UDI) built the current wooden pedestrian walkways on the Temple Mount, originally conceived as a temporary measure: they had to act for several months until a more capital structure was built ^{[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]} . In order to build a permanent bridge, it was necessary to excavate the remains of the old ramp and debris beneath it, to disassemble the stones and the earth left over from the collapse of 2004.

A damaged ramp, located under the bridge and not connected to it, is a collection of archaeological layers; UDI began their excavations, during which superficial layers were removed and several destroyed buildings were opened for viewing. This was done in violation of the action plan originally provided by the UNESCO UDI. Muslim officials and the WAKF accused Israel of erecting structures on the foundations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque ^[16] , trying to destabilize the situation on the Temple Mount, to bring down the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock (400 meters from the location of the ramp). These accusations, in turn, led to criticism from the international community, violent riots and Palestinian appeals for a third intifada ^[17] . Ismail Haniyeh - the then Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority and the leader of Hamas ^[18] - called on the Palestinians to unite to resist the excavations, while Fatah announced its intention to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement with Israel ^[19] . The excavation caused irritation throughout the Islamic world . The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called upon the international community to stop the excavations: “Israeli actions violate the sacred nature of the mosque and entail the risk of destroying its religious and Islamic characteristics” ^[20] . Syria has branded Israeli excavations, saying that they "pose a threat to Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem." ^[21] Malaysia expressed outrage at Israel’s conduct of works around and under the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the targeted destruction of religious, cultural and heritage sites ^[22] . King Abdullah II of Jordan "sharply condemned Israel’s actions against those praying in the Al-Aqsa mosque, stressing that Jordan will continue its contacts with the Arab and Islamic world, as well as the international community, to stop Israel’s work on this territory" ^[23] . Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu , Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference , which includes 57 members, spoke of the torment and dismay that he felt in connection with the silence of the world about the “glaring actions” that Israel is taking “to Judaize Jerusalem and change the historical character of the holy city ". He said that “the process of excavation carried out by Israel is the hardest threat ever to exist for one of the three holiest mosques of Islam” ^[24] . Several neighboring Arab states have declared that the work being done threatens their internal stability, while several others have threatened war ^[25] .

Israel denied all the accusations, calling them “absurd” ^[26] . In connection with the furor raised, the Israeli authorities installed cameras to film the excavation process. The video was broadcast on the Internet in real time, in an attempt to calm the massive wrath of the Muslim world ^[27] . On March 20, 2007, the Turkish government sent a technical team to conduct an inspection and report on the excavation to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ^{[28] [29]} . The incident report, published by UNESCO in March 2007, ^[30] removed the violations from the Israeli team, saying that the excavations "relate to areas that are external to the Western Wall and are limited to the surface of the passage and its northern side ... No work inside Haram al-Sharif is not performed; also, the nature of the work carried out cannot, at this stage, be interpreted as representing a danger to the stability of the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The work area ends approximately ten meters from the Western Wall. The works are carried out using light equipment, picks and shovels, are managed and documented in accordance with professional standards. ” However, the report recommended completing the work, since the goal of collecting information was achieved and to conduct consultations with interested parties.

Thus, the Mughrabi bridge and the excavation of a historic ramp were the subject of controversy contributing to the intensity of the Arab-Israeli conflict ^[31] . As a result, at the end of 2011, the “temporary” bridge was still standing. On December 12, 2011, the chief engineer of Jerusalem issued an order to close this structure for security reasons, due to the dilapidation and the threat of fire ^[17] . It was decided to replace the temporary wooden bridge with a permanent stone one. However, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Jordan stated that Israel has no right to make any changes on the Temple Mount ^[32] . In turn, conservative circles of Israel believe that religious Jews should have access to the holiest place of Judaism - the Temple Mount ^[25] . In protest against the position of Jordan, a group of right-religious residents of Israel entered the closed military zone on the border with Jordan and occupied an empty church there ^[32] . Three days after the fire, the Mughrabi Bridge was reopened ^[33] .

In 2012 and 2013, the bridge supporting forests were replaced by a large metal girder construction and the area under the bridge was reopened for visitors, which led to the “increase” in the size of the women's prayer zone of the Western Wall 1.5-2 times. (Since this territory was mostly “lost” during the construction of the bridge, it is difficult to call this situation a true increase - although some new territory was acquired thanks to the excavation of the old ramp and the removal of its garbage.)

In August 2014, construction work began on the second bridge leading to the Mughrabi gate. The second bridge would complement the 2007 Mughrabi Bridge ^[34] . This additional bridge became the object of disagreement, and at the request of the Jordanian government the work was stopped, and what they managed to build was destroyed ^[35] .

• Fernsehbeitrag von infolive.tv bei Youtube (english)
• News from Israel and the Middle East. Mughrabi Bridge is open again