Controversial Jerusalem Old City Cable Car plans okayed by housing cabinet

The Housing Cabinet approved on Monday a controversial cable car project for Jerusalem’s Old City that will help visitors access the Western Wall.

Once it is built, it will be able to transport some 3,000 people an hour to the site, which draws some 135,000 visitors a week.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said that the project goes far beyond transportation and tourism, and is a national initiative to make the area accessible to all. After waiting 2,000 years for the Western Wall, traffic jams shouldn’t prevent people from visiting it, Kahlon said.

Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin said, “This is a strategic project to promote tourism in the Old City. Step by step, we are transforming a vision into a new reality.”

The NGO Emek Shaveh, which works to preserve cultural heritage, has opposed the project. It’s CEO Jonathan Mizrachi said that the group plans to appeal the decision to the High Court of Justice, noting that a project of this importance should not be approved by a transitional government.