OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — A landslide at part of Al-Aqsa Mosque esplanade has sounded the alarm over the ongoing Israeli excavations near Islam’s third holiest shrine. Worshippers reportedly witnessed a crater at the esplanade as they were en route to the Friday prayer on Feb. 15. The landslide occurred near Al-Selsela Gate and Qatibai Water Fountain at the mosque’s western side. Al-Aqsa Mosque represents the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict as Jews claim that their alleged Haykal (Temple of Solomon) exists underneath Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Palestinians blamed the Israeli diggings adjacent to Al-Aqsa for the earth moving. The Islamic Movement in Israel also blamed the Israeli diggings for the landslide, calling on Muslim countries to step in to stop Israeli excavations near the holy mosque. The movement’s leader, Shaikh Raed Salah, has warned that Israel plans to build a colossal synagogue at the heart of Al-Haram Al-Sharif and contiguous to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli bulldozers started demolishing the bridge leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Al-Maghariba Gate and two underground rooms a year ago, sparking widespread protests in the Palestinian lands and Muslim countries.