Posted on 07/12/21
| News Source: i24
Constructed in 2007, the Mughrabi Bridge was only ever supposed to be a temporary solution
Likud lawmaker Miri Regev launched an urgent proposal in the Knesset (Israel Parliament) Sunday, to immediately commence construction work to solidify the Mughrabi Bridge in Jerusalem's Old City, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The wooden bridge, which links the Western Wall plaza to the Temple Mount - and is the only entrance through which non-Muslims can ascend to the holy site, was only ever envisioned as a temporary solution when it was constructed in 2007. It replaced an earthen ramp, which collapsed in 2004.
However, following protestations from the Waqf - the Islamic religious body that has responsibility for the Temple Mount (al-Haram al-Sharif in Arabic) - who claimed that Israel was trying to destabilize the site, the temporary solution has emerged with a patina of permanence.
In 2011, the city engineer of Jerusalem issued an order to close the bridge due to safety concerns, but despite this, the bridge still remains open for public use, a decade later, reported the Post.
A 2021 report from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation found the wood to be "extremely dry and cracked," proposing that complete replacement was the most appropriate response.
"It is forbidden to wait another moment with the demolition of the bridge and the construction of an appropriate replacement," imposed Regev. "The writing is on the wall, and the blood will be on the hands of all those who sat on the sidelines and remained silent."
Regev maintained that any potential bridge collapse could have devastating consequences for the women who pray next to the wall and whose prayer space abuts the bridge.
The former transport minister made her plea in the shadow of two recent tragedies that have cost the lives of dozens of victims and injured hundreds more - namely, the Mount Meron Lag Ba'Omer stampede and the collapsed bleachers at the Givat Ze'ev synagogue.