BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Disputed Bridge to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount Reopened

Bible and archaeology news

Two days after the wooden and worn Moughrabi bridge leading to the Haram ash-Sharif (or Temple Mount) in Jerusalem was closed due to safety concerns, city officials reopened the bridge to pedestrian traffic. The reopening came after furious protests from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas who often contest Israeli building and repair projects in and around the sacred precinct of the Temple Mount. The bridge, which serves as the only access route to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims, was closed on Sunday by Jerusalem chief engineer Shlomo Eshkol who had said he intended to order the “immediate closure of the structure” and to “completely prohibit its use.” With the bridge’s reopening, city officials now say they will consider repairs that shore up rather than replace the existing structure.

Two days after the wooden and worn Moughrabi bridge leading to the Haram ash-Sharif (or Temple Mount) in Jerusalem was closed due to safety concerns, city officials reopened the bridge to pedestrian traffic.