Accessibility Project At Tomb Of The Patriarchs To Proceed

The High Court of Justice denied a Palestinian petition against a project to make Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs shrine wheelchair accessible by installing an elevator, The Times of Israel reported on November 4. The panel rejected arguments from Hebron’s Palestinian-run city hall, which maintained that the project was politically motivated, damages the aesthetics of the holy site and that there are more appropriate alternatives that would be less damaging. The site, holy to both Jews and Muslims, is accessible now only by its iconic stairs. The project includes an elevator, a path to reach the entrance from the parking area and a bridge connecting the elevator to the entrance. The ruling allows Jewish residents of the divided flashpoint city to continue construction on the project, which began in August after years of planning and waiting for the necessary approvals by the Israeli government. The Defense Ministry said the work is expected to last six months.