UNESCO, the U.N. cultural organization, will send a technical team to Jerusalem to assess the Israeli excavations around the al-Aqsa Mosque, according to a statement released on Friday. Jerusalem is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and World Heritage in Danger List. International outcry erupted when Israel began excavations of the outer square around the al-Aqsa Mosque without consulting with the proper authorities. The 1,300-year-old mosque is one of the most sacred sites to Muslims. The five-person UNESCO team, expected to arrive in Jerusalem as early as next week, includes Director-General of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) Mounir Bouchenaki and president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Michael Petzel. 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, said UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura.
