Israel’s strategic plan through archaeology to claim sovereignty over the Temple mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem: the case of the Mughrabi gate bridge plan

Archaeology has been an effective instrument in Israel’s national interest to claim legitimacy and sovereignty over Eastern Jerusalem since 1967. Israeli archaeology has been capable of altering the current status quo arrangement at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif (TMH). In Israel, archaeology is recognized as a nationalistic and patriotic project. Nationalistic and biblical archaeology in the Holy Basin of Jerusalem is playing an important role to fulfil Israel’s national interest against international law. Israeli excavations have been gradually strengthening Jewish cultural and heritage security in Jerusalem vis-à-vis Palestinian and Arabic cultural and heritage security in the bitter competition for sovereignty. Process of Judaizing and de-Islamization have been taking place vigorously in Jerusalem violating United Nations resolutions and international law. Archaeological excavations together with Judaizing projects in Jerusalem have been focusing in the Jerusalem Inner Belt or the Holy Basin. After the 2nd Intifada, Israel intensified national level territorial plan to transform Jerusalem under the Jerusalem Master Plan (JMP). This plan is carried out at three levels; the Outer Belt of Jerusalem, the Middle Belt of Jerusalem and the Inner Belt of Jerusalem. The JMP is an ambitious plan to achieve Israel’s territorial and demographic ambition in Jerusalem; to consolidate Jerusalem within Israel’s 1967 border vis-à-vis Palestinians legitimate claim over the city. In Jerusalem Inner Belt plans, Israel has been implementing territorial policy over the holy sites to accomplish its national agenda. In this context, military security and Jewish cultural and heritage security at the West Wall Flank are short term objective in Israel’s national interest. In this regard, the Mughrabi Gate Bridge plan (MGB, 2004-2014), is a municipal level territorial plan to Judaize the site vis-à-vis Arabic and Islamic identity in order to claim sovereignty over the TMH in future, which is Israel’s long term objective. In the Inner Belt of Jerusalem, Israel has been trying to establish Jewish cultural and heritage security and military security to ensure Israel’s survival in the Middle East region. Thus, the MGB plan at the Western Wall or the Al-Buraq Wall was planned to Judaize the whole West Wall flank. Through this policy, the IAA erased and destroyed Arabic and Islamic identity to claim sovereignty over the TMH in future. In the MGB plan role of the non-state actors are significant as Israel’s national instruments. The IAA carried out archaeological excavations at the MGP site for Israel’s national interest. The Western Wall Foundation (WWHF) planned to build the new bridge to connect the Mughrabi Gate with the Dung Gate. The Jerusalem Municipality (JM) launched the plan for Greater Jerusalem under the Jerusalem Master Plan. All agencies involved in the MGB plan were government agencies except for the settler groups. Settlers have been creating Jewish topography in the Holy Basin to increase Jewish historical tourism. Meanwhile, the temple activists planned to revive temple culture, worship and building of 3rd Jewish temple on the mount. Therefore, we can observe that the temple activists, rabbis, and settlers can gain considerable advantages if the MGB plan materialized. Israel as the state actor has been taking opportunity over the domestic elements to achieve its national interest. Israel has been supportive of domestic actors because domestic actors function within the parameter of Israel’s aspiration. Domestic elements only can succeed if their demands are within Israel’s national interest. In the case of the MGB plan, domestic actors can function and place their demands without hesitation because Israel’s national interest to claim sovereignty over the mount fulfil their objectives. This is one of the strategic plan Israel used to make territorial claim and establish sovereignty over the TMH.