The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest site in Judaism, because it is all that remains of the second Temple, which was built under the direction of King Herod, and later destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Known as the Kotel, it is essentially all that the Jews have of that Temple and its environs. Within this area, known as the Temple Mount, Muslims would later construct the al-Aqsa Mosque and a shrine called the Dome of the Rock. But now, under a proposal made to UNESCO by six Arab nations on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, the Western Wall would be recognized as part of the al-Aqsa Mosque. Since the 1920s, Muslims have called this wall "al-Buraq", referring to the winged horse on which Mohammed traveled to Jerusalem and then to Heaven in a story known as the "night journey" (although I understand that the story does not literally mention Jerusalem). The area adjacent the Kotel has been used as an open-air synagogue, but under this proposal would be called Buraq Plaza.
Read more at The Times Of Israel, Israel National News and YNet News.
UPDATE (10/20): From The Jerusalem Post, the U.S. "strongly opposes" the UNESCO proposal.
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