Jordan: U.N. should stop Jerusalem dig

Jordan called on the U.N. Security Council to stop Israel from continuing repair work and excavations around the Temple Mount. Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib met with ambassadors of the European Union and G-8 industrial nations, warning of “dangerous consequences” if the digging continues. Already a few thousand police have been dispersed in the Old City of Jerusalem, and a Palestinian group linked to the Palestinians’ mainstream Fatah party has threatened to attack synagogues. The Israel Antiques Authority maintains that the excavation, meant to strengthen an access ramp to the Dung Gate, will continue for weeks or even months. “It is important to emphasize that this work and these excavations do not affect the compound at all,” spokeswoman Osnat Gouez said. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni condemned those who threatened Jewish institutions, saying they “know perfectly well that no harm is being caused to any holy place” by Israel. According to the 1994 Israel-Jordan peace treaty, Jordan has a say in the Wakf Islamic council’s operation of the Al-Aksa mosque on the Temple Mount and the area around it. The mount, the holiest site in Judaism, is also holy to Muslims.