A team of Turkish experts inspected a controversial Israeli archaeological dig
near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The officials, sent to defuse Muslim ire, on Wednesday toured an area of the Western Wall Plaza where
Israel’s Antiquities Authority is scouring for relics before restoring a
walkway to the Temple Mount.
On Thursday, the delegation is to meet
with Palestinian Authority officials, who have spread claims that the dig
threatens to undermine two major mosques on the Temple Mount — a charge that sparked recent anti-Israel rioting by Palestinians and other Muslims. A visiting UNESCO team vindicated Israel’s denial of the charge last week. Turkish diplomats declined comment on the
inspectors’ findings.
