Israel is trying to destroy the Muslim nature of the Temple Mount, according to a report by a Turkish mission.
The Turkish team sent to inspect the Israeli excavations near the Temple Mount blamed Israel for attempting to harm sites holy to Muslims and for conducting what they call unnecessary digs near the Mugrabi Gate, according to the Turkish daily al-Zaman, which published large parts of the report Sunday.
The mission also criticized Israel for not cooperating with the Muslim Wakf.
The Turkish team visited the site in March, but the report’s release was delayed due to political concerns, including the recent debate over the Armenian genocide issue.
The Turkish Consul General, Ercan Ozer, who is an architect, an archeologist, a geologist and a history professor, warned that “Israel is trying to change Old Jerusalem’s character and to ‘Judaize’ the history of the Temple Mount,” Yediot Achronot reported.
Israel’s foreign ministry responded to the report saying “Israel is cooperating fully with UNESCO, which had sent a professional team to the site of the dig and published a report refuting all the allegations against Israel.”
