The plan to include the Mount of Olives in the expansion project of Israel's national park was withdrawn following the opposition of local church leaders.
According to The Times of Israel, the spokeswoman for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) confirmed that the park authority will not proceed with the project anymore.
"There is no intention of advancing the plan in the planning committee, and it is not ready for discussion without coordination and communication with all relevant officials, including the churches, in the area regarding the correct way to preserve this special area," the INPA spokeswoman stated.
She also contended that the project only intends to conserve "one of the most important cultural and heritage landscapes in the world," which she noted was an area "neglected for years and suffer[s] from vandalism and arson."
The decision came after the leaders of three religious organizations, including the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Custos of the Holy Land and Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote to Tamar Zandberg, head of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, criticizing the plan. Several consuls were also furnished with copies of the letter.
The church leaders pointed out that the churches are doing their best to preserve the "sacred character" of the Mount of Olives and its accessibility to millions of visitors. Further, they argued that the proponents' only purpose "is to confiscate and nationalize one of the holiest sites for Christianity and alter its nature."
"This is a brutal measure that constitutes a direct and premeditated attack on the Christians in the Holy Land, on the churches and on their ancient, internationally guaranteed rights in the Holy City. Under the guise of protecting green spaces, the plan appears to serve an ideological agenda that denies the status and rights of Christians in Jerusalem," they added in the letter.
The Israeli leftist observers also criticized the plan, claiming that the City of David Foundation only intends to surround Jerusalem with Jewish residential, archaeological and environmental projects.
But the foundation denounced the claim, stating that the people behind the opposition only want to prevent the city's development in order to promote their agenda.
"The claims that are being brought against the project are largely spearheaded by organizations with a political agenda that receive large amounts of funding by the European Union with the goal of keeping Jerusalem in a state of neglect and squalor in order to bolster their narrative that Jews and Arabs cannot benefit together under Israeli sovereignty in all of Jerusalem," it stated.
The issue was also discussed with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett by a group of Democrat United States representatives who visited the country. Bennett then assured the lawmakers that he will do everything he can to reduce the tension in the Old City.
Alongside the sacred mountain, the expansion plan aims to include the Kidron and Ben Hinnom valleys as additional parts of the Jerusalem Walls National Park.
The Mount of Olives has already been mentioned in the Bible as early as the time of King David. However, it became sacred to Christians because it is the place where Jesus would go to pray, even the night before His arrest. Moreover, after the resurrection, He ascended into heaven in the same location.
