Israeli authorities opened a new museum under the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in eastern Jerusalem. New reports also indicate that the Israelis secretly built three new synagogues inside the tunnels that are scattered under the mosque. This is creating concern for Muslim and Christian groups in Jerusalem.

The Islamic-Christian Committee to Support Jerusalem say the excavation work under the Al-Aqsa Mosque is destabilizing the foundations of the mosque, which is showing signs of structural damage. Historian Khalil Ibrahim told Palestine Online, "These synagogues are an extension of other religious sites that Israel is building in occupied Jerusalem, especially around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, to impose new realities on the ground. The constructions have political backing in an effort to Judaize the city."

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third most holiest place of worship in Islam, behind the Grand Mosque in Mecca and in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.  Reports suggest the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been raided by both Jewish settlers and Israeli forces at least four times in the just the past ten days.  The growing protest by Israeli settlers continue to demand to divide the mosque compound in half to make way for a Jewish temple.

The Islamic-Christian Committee to Support Jerusalem committee secretary general Dr. Hanna Issa told the Middle-East Monitor that, "The Israeli occupation authorities aim to deprive the mosque of its Arab and Muslim identity to convert it to a Jewish synagogue by opening Jewish museums and digging tunnels beneath the holy mosque to eventually replace it with the alleged Temple."

(* If you like this story, please do not forget to vote for ILLUME for the $20,000.00 Unity Startup Grant *)