JERUSALEM (ANS) -- A group of 150 Israeli citizens, which represent a cross section of the Israeli public, have filed a lawsuit against WAQF Islamic trust leaders in Jerusalem. The suit alleges that Islamic officials have engaged in the deliberate destruction of ancient Jewish relics on the Temple Mount.

According to a news release from the Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center (ILC), the indictment was filed in the Jerusalem District Court as a private lawsuit. The private indictment is the first of its kind in Israeli legal history. If convicted, ULC reported the WAQF officials could face years in prison.

The legal action, which is led by the Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center, accuses members of the Islamic Trust (WAQF) of intentionally demolishing priceless Jewish artifacts, including the remains of the Second Temple.

In recent months, the news release stated, the WAQF has brought in bulldozers and heavy digging equipment to carry out “renovations.” Israeli archaeologists who have sifted through the discarded earth were shocked to find many Jewish artifacts destroyed by the bulldozers. A wall from the outer courtyard of the Second Temple is also believed to have been ruined.

ILC reported that court papers contend the recent accelerated destruction is part of a four decade long campaign by the WAQF to eradicate all evidence of the historical Jewish connection and claim to the Temple Mount.

After liberating the Old City in 1967, ILC reported, Israel permitted the WAQF to remain as “custodians” of the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site.

The ILC alleges that the Israeli government, in its “political cowardice,” has consistently refused to undertake any concrete actions to stop WAQF. As a result, ILC commented, the Israeli government has abandoned the long Jewish claim over the Temple Mount and allowed Islamic extremists to re-write Jerusalem’s history.

Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center Director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner said in a news release, “This private prosecution is an unprecedented response to the brutal attempt by the WAQF extremists to eradicate any Jewish claim over the Temple Mount. The WAQF leaders belong in prison, and since Israel's government is refusing to protect Jewish heritage and property, we will prosecute the WAQF ourselves. This legal action is a moral obligation, not only for the Jewish people, but also for the Christian community, which has significant interests in safeguarding the Temple Mount as well.”

For more information go to www.israellawcenter.org

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service." Additional details about "Homeless" are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.