ICMA Statement: Haram Al-Sharif

Last week our community and the world at large were reminded of the vulnerability of medieval monuments and the symbolic power they bear as icons of national pride. As fire engulfed the roof of Notre-Dame de Paris, in Jerusalem another blaze ignited a mobile wooden guard booth at the Haram al-Sharif, near the roof of the Marwani Prayer Room (known as Solomon’s Stables). We are relieved by reports that the fire was contained quickly, did not damage any of the historical monuments on this millennia-old sacred space, and caused no injuries.