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An aerial view of the Dome of the Rock mosque on the Temple Mount, at the base of which Turkey seeks to build a monument. (AP)
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Last update - 14:53 04/11/2007
Turkey seeks right to build monument in J'lem's Old City
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
tags: Turkey, Israel, Temple Mount 

Turkey would like to build a monument to those who died fighting for the Ottoman Empire at the foot of the Temple Mount's eastern wall, not far from the Golden Gate.

The proposal, which the Prime Minister's Office supports, was recently submitted to the Jerusalem Municipality for approval. The Waqf, or Islamic religious trust, which controls the Temple Mount, has already given Turkey land for the monument, which would be about three meters high and fly a Turkish flag.

While the municipality has not yet discussed the proposal, rightist councilmen have already expressed opposition. Councilman Yair Gabbay (National Religious Party) has asked the city's legal adviser to nix the project on the grounds that according to the city's master plan, all construction is forbidden within 70 meters of the Temple Mount. The plot the Waqf has allocated to Turkey is a mere five meters from the mount.
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Sources in the Jerusalem Municipality said that the proposal would be examined according to the usual legal criteria, but the stance of the Prime Minister's Office and the diplomatic sensitivities entailed would be taken into consideration.

Turkey controlled this area until 1917, when it was ousted by the British during World War I. Today, it has good relations with Israel, but during the war, it deported many Jews because a Jewish group known as Nili had been providing intelligence to the British.

The last time a similar issue arose was immediately after the 1967 Six-Day War, when the Waqf and Arab residents of East Jerusalem sought permission to erect several monuments to soldiers of the Jordanian Legion who were killed in the battles for Jerusalem. Those proposals aroused fierce public debate, but eventually a compromise was reached, under which one central monument for all the battles was erected.


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      1.   more monuments needed 00:42  |  ron 04/11/07
      2.   France and Russia too 00:44  |  claude 04/11/07
      3.   Associated Press Ignorance 01:16  |  davidk 04/11/07
      4.   Why not? 01:19  |  Maureen Ann 04/11/07
      5.   ottoman empire symbol of slavery and occupation 01:28  |  Viken 04/11/07
      6.   Shame on Jews, if they allow that bloody red flag be raised in I 01:29  |  Viken 04/11/07
      7.   Shame on Arabs for being so silent on turkish crimes 01:30  |  Viken 04/11/07
      8.   When We Can Build a Temple On The Mount 02:10  |  Efox 04/11/07
      9.   Turkey and the Waqf 02:29  |  Frank 04/11/07
      10.   Lets also build a monument to Nazi soilders all oppresed jews 02:31  |  zionist forever 04/11/07
      11.   maureen ann 02:53  |  bruce 04/11/07
      12.   england too 02:54  |  les 04/11/07
      13.   Where were the Palistinians? 03:03  |  Micah 04/11/07
      14.   New Monument 03:16  |  Edifce 04/11/07
      15.   America Would Do It 03:16  |  Yosemite 04/11/07
      16.   SHAME ON ISRAEL !!!!!!!!! A DISGRACE !!!!! 03:43  |  amir 04/11/07
      17.   "Three meters high and fly a Turkish flag". 03:58  |  Lisen 04/11/07
      18.   #11Bruce. You forgot to mention... 04:28  |  Maureen Ann 04/11/07
      19.   MAUREN AN, MAUREN AN, MAUREN AN, Where are you my dear? 04:35  |  Jalal Shaid 04/11/07
      20.   Turkey seeks right to build monument in J`lem old city 04:35  |  Matin List,M.D. 04/11/07
      21.   Build Turkish monuments in Aqaba, Damascus, Iskandur and Baghdad 04:41  |  Genuine Tosefta 04/11/07
      22.   First Turkey build huge monument for Armenians in Constantinople! 04:46  |  Genuine Tosefta 04/11/07
      23.   Why mourn the oppressors of freedom? 04:50  |  hala 04/11/07
      24.   The Ottoman Butchers to Jews in Baghdad 05:24  |  Fullu 04/11/07
      25.   TURKEY and The JEWS 05:32  |  Comonsense 04/11/07
      26.   MAUREN AN, MAUREN AN, MAUREN AN, Where are you my dear? 05:48  |  Jalal Shaid 04/11/07
      27.   Ottoman empire 06:09  |  andrew 04/11/07
      28.   Turkey seeks right to build monument in J`lem old city 06:26  |  Martin List,M.D. 04/11/07
      29.   Indeed why not 06:52  |  James McNamara 04/11/07
      30.   No More Muslim Monuments in Jews HOliest City - Stop the Insanity 07:12  |  J 04/11/07
      31.   Monument for the Crusaders 07:32  |  dan 04/11/07
      32.   Turkey 07:33  |  Steve 04/11/07
      33.   A monument for those who died defending the Byzantine Empire 07:49  |  hala 04/11/07
      34.   # 8 who you calling "we" two-face? 07:50  |  eric 04/11/07
      35.   Monmuments 07:56  |  Arabist 04/11/07
      36.   A Grand Synagogue In Istanbul 08:19  |  MJ 04/11/07
      37.   #26. Bad news... 09:06  |  Maureen Ann 04/11/07
      38.   This is obviously a matter that should be discussed and decided 09:07  |  Uri 04/11/07
      39.   PM`s office supports it 09:10  |  Michael 04/11/07
      40.   monuments to world greatest killers 09:27  |  joe 04/11/07
      41.   Jerusalem being part of the sovereign state of Israel, is not 09:28  |  Maya 04/11/07
      42.   to # 26 Not a comedian 09:38  |  Steve the Pals. 04/11/07
      43.   IDIOT SUBJECT and SHUT UP YOU RACIST POSTERS ! 10:03  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 04/11/07
      44.   To all Armenian attackers here 10:03  |  Steve the Pals. 04/11/07
      45.   HAARETZ ! YOU REALY IDIOT ! YOU KNOW THAT ? 10:05  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 04/11/07
      46.   ISRAEL IS STILL THE OCCUPIER OF THE OLD CITY 10:07  |  indrajaya 04/11/07
      47.   to Atilla 10:28  |  Nick 04/11/07
      48.   re: eric 10:30  |  Efox 04/11/07
      49.   THE ARMENIANS LOUGHING AT WORLD, HOW CAN THESE POOR MINDS ... 10:43  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 04/11/07
      50.   I WANT TO SEE A RESPONSIBLE HAARETZ, BIG HAARETZ 10:47  |  Atilla 04/11/07
      51.   try to have good relation with Turkey, and to learn INSANITY 10:50  |  LOVE 04/11/07
      52.   You deep The Armenian Snakes, have you seen black blind snake ? 10:53  |  Atilla 04/11/07
      53.   A National Feast 10:54  |  Bandar Michaels 04/11/07
      54.   #36, MJ. If there`s anything called reciprocity... 10:55  |  zmogus 04/11/07
      55.   INDRAJAYA.Need a monument for all Chinese,Timorese 10:56  |  PETER S.M. 04/11/07
      56.   to Nick 11:04  |  Atilla 04/11/07
      57.   Who was Adva Fisher ? 11:13  |  Dubi 04/11/07
      58.   # 55, PETER SM 11:14  |  indrajaya 04/11/07
      59.   Ya, let`s celebrate the retarded ottoman empire !! 11:21  |  Hyporicy Monitor 04/11/07
      60.   zmogus and his posts 11:24  |  yehuda shalev 04/11/07
      61.   PROPHETS DONT TALK BAD ABOUT EACH OTHER, But we do talk ! 11:45  |  why 04/11/07
      62.   to atila 11:45  |  israel 04/11/07
      63.   I wish you all come to Istanbul and... 11:52  |  ...... 04/11/07
      64.   to : israel 12:00  |  Atilla 04/11/07
      65.   The war of the monuments, and the end of memory 12:03  |  zmogus 04/11/07
      66.   Nick, My Achi 12:08  |  ... 04/11/07
      67.   INDRAJAYA.I know I score a hit when your second message 12:21  |  PETER S.M. 04/11/07
      68.   Absolutely not! 12:32  |  Palestinian Prince 04/11/07
      69.   to israel 12:56  |  engineer63 04/11/07
      70.   #60, yehuda shalev and his posts 13:18  |  zmogus 04/11/07
      71.   Armenian Genocide 13:19  |  Pauline 04/11/07
      72.   My family & Turkey 13:44  |  Tuvia 04/11/07
      73.   Ottoman Empire 14:06  |  Naim S. Mahlab 04/11/07
      74.   so called Genocide 14:07  |  engineer63 04/11/07
      75.   Ottomans 14:12  |  Naim S. Mahlab 04/11/07
      76.   Please dont publish this 14:17  |  Eggman 04/11/07
      77.   Tuvia, where in Turkey did your family settle? 14:25  |  stork 04/11/07
      78.   ron - u r stranger 14:48  |  Imad 04/11/07
      79.   Build a Monument for Lawrence of Arabia 14:48  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 04/11/07
      80.   The Turkish Monument is a good reality check! 15:09  |  Alicia 04/11/07
      81.