September 3, 1991

ARCHEOLOGY, religion and politics are on a collision course over a historic site in Jerusalem, known as Haram al-Sharif to Muslims and the Temple Mount to Jews, and revered by three of the world's major faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In a politically charged lawsuit to be decided soon by Israel's Supreme Court, the Muslims who administer the site are accused of unauthorized excavations and construction that have destroyed, damaged or covered up important archeological remains. The Israel Antiquities Authority is charged with failure to enforce the country's laws protecting archeological sites. The suit was brought by a radical right-wing Jewish group in Israel called the Temple Mount Faithful.

Whether President Mikhail S. Gorbachev and the leaders of the major Soviet republics succeed or not in keeping the semblance of a union in place is unanswerable at this point. But the surprise accord they issued today is a gamble to prevent the existing union from tumbling in on itself. This latest plan has at least as many open questions as its predecessor arrangements over the last six years. The critical unknowns include when the nation might again have new elections and a new constitution, whether the republics will find a better way to generate economic recovery, and the precise long-term role of Mr. Gorbachev who, for the moment at least, remains as the needed agent of national resolve.

After four days of round-the-clock work to clean up last week's subway derailment, service resumed early today for the 500,000 riders of the Lexington Avenue IRT line, when a No. 4 express train carrying a handful of passengers rumbled safely through the site of the deadly accident. At 12:04 A.M. the express train rolled slowly over new tracks and past new signals and ceiling-support columns 200 feet north of the Union Square station, the scene of Wednesday's derailment.Five passengers were killed, another 200 were injured and service on the line was disrupted for six days.

Declaring that the nation was "on the brink of catastrophe," President Mikhail S. Gorbachev and the leaders of 10 republics stunned the opening session of the national Congress today by proposing to transfer all central authority to themselves and an appointed legislative council until a new union can be formed. The proposal, prepared in arduous negotiations between Mr. Gorbachev and the republics' leaders that ended shortly before the session opened, was a last-ditch attempt to halt the uncontrolled fragmentation of the union before it destroyed the interwoven economies and the armed forces.

At moments yesterday it seemed as if summer had somehow already slipped unnoticed into fall. All across the New York metropolitian region on Labor Day, people headed for backyards, parks, beaches, anywhere outdoors -- not to escape the oppressive heat usually expected of late summer, but to marvel at a crystal-blue sky with whipped-cream clouds and a breeze with a little snap to it.