A Jerusalem municipal planning committee approved a plan to make sweeping changes to the Western Wall plaza.

The plan approved Monday by the Jerusalem Planning and Building Committee would completely change the layout of the plaza, which was established in 1967. The approval is the first step in a long approvals process.

Under the plan, an underground plaza and tunnel would replace the main entrance at the Dung Gate. The plan also includes a visitors' center and extra bathrooms, classrooms and an auditorium, as well as exhibition space for archeological artifacts found in the area.

Despite a plan for a moveable mechitza between the men's' and women's' section, which would allow for the enlargement of the women's section as needed, women's groups have expressed concerns about the new configuration, believing that they are being squeezed out.

The plan is also expected to anger the Muslim community, which has protested previous work on the plaza, such as the construction of a temporary bridge to the Mugrabi Gate entrance of the Temple Mount in 2007.

The municipality of Jerusalem reports that eight million people visit the Western Wall each year, and expects that figure to double in the next ten years. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation puts the number of visitors at 15 million, according to the Jerusalem Post.

via jta.org

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