A new train station that will be built next to the Western Wall in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem will be named after U.S. President Donald Trump, announced Transportation Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday.
“The Western Wall is the holiest place for the Jewish people, and I decided to call the train station that leads to it after President Trump following his historic and brave decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel,” said Katz.
Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Dec. 6 led to almost unanimous support from across the Israeli political spectrum but sparked waves of protests across the world.
Yedioth Aharonot reported that Katz approved the construction plans for the train, which will include a three kilometer tunnel from the “Umma” (Nation) station at the entrance to the city to the Kardo in the Jewish Quarter, only a short distance from the Western Wall.
Katz said he sees this project of extending the length of the railway from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as the most important national project, and ordered officials in the Transportation Ministry to define it as a top priority mission.
The high-speed Tel Aviv-Jerusalem railway has been under construction since 2001 and will complement the existing, slower railway that already operates between the two cities. The project has been marked by numerous setbacks and delays.
In May, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall when he visited the site during a tour of several Middle East countries.
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This article has been adapted from its original source.
