Israel Closes Access Ramp to Aqsa Compound

Israel has closed a controversial wooden access ramp to the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City on public safety concerns, police said on Monday in a move likely to spark a backlash.

"Based on an order from the city council, they have closed the ramp," police spokeswoman Luba Samri told Agence France Presse, referring to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation which is responsible for the upkeep of the structure, known as the Mughrabi ramp.

The ramp was closed just three days before a deadline imposed by the Jerusalem city council, which had threatened to enforce a closure order if the Foundation did not immediately close off public access to the structure due to fears it could collapse.

"The police and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation decided yesterday to close the temporary Mughrabi ramp," municipal spokesman Stephan Miller told AFP.

"This follows a letter from the municipality that expressed the concern and gave the foundation seven days to appeal against the order," he said.

The city says the ramp poses a fire hazard and could collapse onto the women's prayer section by the Western Wall.

But Muslim leaders fear the demolition could have a destabilizing effect on the mosque compound and accuses Israel of failing to coordinate the renovation with the Waqf, which oversees Islamic heritage sites.

There are 15 gates leading into the al-Aqsa mosque compound, 10 of which are in use.

The Mughrabi Gate is the only access for non-Muslims to enter the site, meaning its closure will prevent both Jews and tourists from visiting until a replacement structure is built.

Last week, city engineer Shlomo Eshkol had sent a letter ordering the Foundation to close the bridge by the evening of December 14.

The structure has been at the center of a complex row between the city council and the Jewish and Muslim groups which respectively oversee the Western Wall plaza and the al-Aqsa mosque compound next to it.

Plans for the imminent closure of the ramp drew sharp condemnation last week from the Palestinians and from Jordan, which is the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.

"This shows their determination to Judaize Jerusalem and to take over the city's Muslim holy places," Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP last week.

And Gaza's Hamas rulers said implementing the closure would be a "criminal act which constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque and a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims."

The ramp leads from the plaza by the Western Wall, the most sacred site at which Jews can pray, up to the adjoining compound, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, which houses the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam.

The plaza which houses the mosque complex is venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount, the site where King Herod's temple once stood before it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It is the holiest site in Judaism, but Jews are forbidden to worship there.