26 February 2007
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has said that it will send experts to inspect the contentious archaeological excavation in Jerusalem’s Old City. After consulting with Israeli and Islamic authorities, UNESCO said it would send a team of experts to assess the controversial digging at Temple Mount, which has been met with anger throughout the Muslim world. Israel says that the excavations are necessary to scour for artifacts ahead of renovations of a walkway linking the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount.
UNESCO, which lists the Old City among its World Heritage sites, voiced hope that its fact-finding team could calm the controversy. “I believe that such a mission constitutes the most appropriate response to the present situation, and could also be a means of helping to alleviate tensions and restore a climate of confidence favorable to the dialogue that we all wish for,” UNESCO director-general Koichiro Matsuura said in a statement.