The government approved this morning the “Western Wall Elevator” project.
The decision comes after 13 years of declarations which did not lead to an actual decision on the matter. The approved project calls for immediate action, and all required permits have already been granted.
Within the framework of the program, estimated to cost around 50 million shekels, a special elevator and underground passageways are to be built which will give people with physical disabilities easier access to the Western Wall plaza from the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.
According to the program, the elevator will start in the Jewish Quarter and descend 85 feet to the Western Wall plaza. In addition, a pedestrian tunnel over 200 feet long will stretch from the exit of the elevator to the security checkpoint at the Western Wall plaza.
According to Housing Minister Yoav Galant, “Jewish ethics begins at the Western Wall, the heart of the Jewish people. For every year that Jerusalem has been liberated, Israel is investing one million shekels. 50 years – 50 million. Last week, President Trump made clear the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and the Western Wall. The government of Israel said today clearly: The eyes of the Jewish people looked to Jerusalem and the Western Wall for 2,000 years of exile. Now, the state of Israel is not only declaring the connection between the Western Wall and the Jewish people, but is also investing resources in this [connection].”