By: Ed Horner

Several Middle Eastern countries were jolted by the regions most recent earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale. A 6 foot by 5 foot hole opened up on the platform of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as a result of the quake which originated in Lebanon. The quake was felt in the majority of northern Israeli cities extending as far south as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Although the damage was minimal in Israel, the quake reiterated Israel’s lack of preparedness for a large scale earthquake along the African Rift. The latest quake was a 5.3 on the Richter scale and originated north of the Lebanese city of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast. The effects were largely concentrated in southern Lebanon and northern Israel, but Syria and Jordan also reported minimal damage and tremors.

Israeli geologists have been warning the Israeli government that if an earthquake of 7.5 on the Richter scale or higher were to strike the African rift near Bet She’an or the Dead Sea, Israel could experience the death of at least 15,000 residents and over 400,000 would become homeless. Jerusalem would be specifically hard hit because the current residential structures could not withstand such a violent quake.

Archeologists have determined that Jerusalem’s old city has experienced several large earthquakes in the past several centuries and has survived with relatively minimal damage. They are convinced however that the Temple Mount would be extremely susceptible to a geologic disaster if one were to occur today. Recent excavations and expansion of the Al Aksa Mosque by the Islamic Waqf has weakened the entire platform supporting the Dome of the Rock and could prove to be a devastating mistake. The southern wall was near collapse when Waqf expansions began in 2004. The problem has been temporarily corrected, but archeologists fear that the solution would not withstand a large earthquake.

This week’s collapse of a portion of the platform when tremors from a Lebanese quake shook the Temple Mount is just further proof that the entire mount is under tremendous structural stress. The Islamic Waqf denies that they are responsible for the recent collapse and blames the Israeli excavations of the Mughrabi gate region as the source of the weakening. These claims are unfounded however because the Mughrabi gate excavations are outside of the Temple Mount complex and have never been part of the platforms structural support. The Temple Mount is weak today because of the tremendous amount of dirt that the Waqf carts off by the truckloads in an effort to extend the Al Aqsa Mosque underneath the platform.

Israeli geologists are convinced that Israel will experience a large earthquake in the near future. The extent of the damage will be devastating in many of Israel’s population centers and Holy places. Geologists continue to press the government for immediate action but the problem is complex and few viable solutions have been presented to ready the country for the pending quake. Geologists say the next large quake is far overdue and it is not a matter of IF but WHEN it will occur.