First Phase: Towards the end of 1967 and the beginning of 1968, extensive diggings were carried out on an area of 70 square meters under the southern wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Second Phase: In 1069, the diggings exceeded an area of 80 square metres adjacent To the wall of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. These ongoing diggings caused a serious undermining of the foundations of the adjacent building. Subsequently, the entire Magharbah quarter was demolished.

Third Phase: The diggings carried out in 1970 resulted in serious cracks in the foundation of the Ottoman Mosque (Ribat Al-Kurd) and the Jawhiriya School.

Fourth Phase: Israeli diggings between 1972 and 1974 behind the wall of the Al-Aqsa and extending across the southern wall of the Mosque and under the Mihrab pulpit and beneath the Mosque of Omar.

Fifth Phase: The diggings in the middle of the eastern side of the wall near the Golden Gate, where those diggings inflicted extensive damage upon an ancient Islamic cemetery near the site.

Sixth Phase: An expansion of the area of the Wailing Wall designed to destroy all the buildings in the area surroundings the Wailing Wall. An Israeli Ministerial Committee endorsed in 1977 the implementation of this plan, which includes the demolition of several Islamic historic buildings, including the Old Islamic Shari’s Court, the Tankinazia School, the Khalidiya Library, a charitable Zawiya (corner) and the Abu-Median ancient Mosque.

Seventh Phase: The most ominous and menacing of these continuous diggings perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities declared on 27 August 1981 that they had discovered a tunnel beneath the Wailing Wall and the holy Dome of the Rock which extends between both, as well as beneath the foundation of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The occupation authorities alleged that the tunnel had been discovered month before the discovery was announced.

But that the announcement had been withheld and kept secret after informing the two chief Rabbis of Israel as well as the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Defense Minister.

The Israeli officials visited the area and a requested that the matter remained shrouded in secrecy. However, the news reached the world media, which compelled the Ministry of Education to stop diggings and to close the tunnel in order to avoid far-reaching Islamic reactions.

However, the diggings did not in fact stop and were resumed when the Israeli Supreme Court issued a decision on 4 September which revoked the decision of the Minister of Education and permitted a resumption and completion of the diggings, which were resumed on 6 September.

Source: Encyclopedia of Palestine Problem by Issa Nakhleh.