Study says Western Wall is Muslim

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RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A Palestinian Authority study claims Jews have no right to the Western Wall.

The five-page document was first published on the Web site of the P.A. Ministry of Information, but was later removed and "resurfaced" on the Web page of the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

The study was written by Al-Mutawakel Taha, a senior official from the ministry in Ramallah, and claims the Western Wall, referred to as the Al-Buraq Wall, is an integral part of the Al-Aksa mosque and has always belonged to the Muslims, the Post said.

" This wall was never part of the so-called Temple Mount," Taha wrote. "The wall is the property of Muslims and there never was a stone in it that dated back to the era of King Solomon. Jewish faith has no connection to this wall."

Taha accused the "Zionist occupation of falsely and unrightfully" claiming ownership of the Western Wall and claimed it was only Muslim tolerance that permitted Jews to pray there, the paper said.

Palestinian officials claimed hackers caused the document to disappear from the ministry's Web site, but later a Palestinian official admitted that it was removed due to U.S. pressure, the paper said.