Key facts
- ROPES, an Italian engineering consultancy, has withdrawn from the Jerusalem cable car project.
- The project aims to connect West Jerusalem to a tourist complex in occupied East Jerusalem.
- The cable car route threatens Palestinian homes and heritage sites in the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood.
- Israeli authorities have issued 17 expropriation notices for land along the proposed route.
- The project is estimated to cost the state around half a billion shekels.
A fifth foreign company, ROPES, has withdrawn from a controversial cable car project planned to connect West and East Jerusalem. The project, approved in 2019, aims to link West Jerusalem to a tourist complex promoted by the settler organization Elad in occupied East Jerusalem. Several international firms have previously exited the project due to its political sensitivity and concerns over Palestinian land rights.
ROPES CEO Stephan Obexer stated the company declined the consultancy work due to a prior commitment in India. The Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) insists the project is proceeding as planned, with a spokesperson telling Haaretz that steps are being taken to promote it and a tender is expected in the coming months.
Critics, including the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh and Palestinian residents, warn that the cable car route threatens Palestinian homes and heritage in the Historic Basin area. Expropriation notices have been issued for land and air rights, impacting approximately 54 Palestinian homes and around 450 residents. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has stated its involvement was limited to providing feedback on alternative routes.