Israeli continued excavations in Occupied Jerusalem are posing an imminent threat to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Serious concerns have been raised over the Israeli escalating excavation work at the southwestern corner of al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israeli tunnels
Al Yabousi Tunnel is stretching along the waterway branching into two tunnels that start from the entrance to the Silwan plateau south of al-Aqsa and end in the al-Bustan neighborhood.
Hammam al-Ain tunnel first dug in 2004 is located below Hammam al-Ain Endowment and aims to connect underground Judaization schemes with the western tunnel.
The Western tunnel is 450 meters long and located on the western side of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
The New Silwan tunnel is about 12 meters wide and located near the Ein Silwan complex south of al-Aqsa.
Silwan Cave tunnel is 300 meters long stretching from Bab al-Amud to the north with no end point.
In 2007 the Silwan Al Sharqi tunnel was discovered under the Silwan neighborhood to the right of al-Aqsa Mosque and heads north.
Wadi Hilweh tunnel was first dug in 2008 stretching from Wadi Hilweh neighborhood to Silwan.
Silwan-Wadi al-Hilweh was also discovered in 2009 which meets with Wadi Hilweh tunnel to form a 600-meter-long tunnel.
Wadi Hilweh tunnel Southwest Corner of al-Aqsa extends under the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood towards the north penetrates beneath the historic wall of the Old City and reaches the southwest corner of al-Aqsa.
Bab Al-Qattanin tunnel is located below the Dome of the Rock.
International condemnation
In July 2017 UN cultural agency UNESCO adopted a resolution that denounced Israel’s failure to “cease the persistent excavations tunneling works projects and other illegal practices in East Jerusalem particularly in and around the Old City of Jerusalem which are illegal under international law”.
The resolution further stated that “legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel the occupying power which have altered — or purport to alter — the character and status of the holy city of Jerusalem… are null and void and must be rescinded forthwith”.
Israel for its part refuses to allow access to UNESCO to examine the holy sites in Occupied Jerusalem.
