Fifth Foreign Firm Pulls Out of Planned East Jerusalem Cable Car Project
Italian consultancy ROPES has declined work on the controversial 1.4-kilometre line linking West Jerusalem to occupied East Jerusalem, though Israeli officials maintain the scheme will proceed.
At a glance
- Italian engineering consultancy ROPES became the fifth foreign firm to withdraw from the East Jerusalem cable car development.
- The proposed 1.4-kilometre route ends near a complex run by settler group Elad and threatens dozens of Palestinian homes in Silwan.
- The Jerusalem Development Authority stated the half-billion-shekel project is continuing and a tender will be published soon.
An Italian engineering consultancy has become the fifth foreign firm to withdraw from a controversial cable car project linking West Jerusalem to occupied East Jerusalem, even as Israeli authorities state the initiative is moving forward.
Stephan Obexer, chief executive of South Tyrol-based consultancy ROPES, confirmed that his company declined an offer to consult on the development due to an existing commitment in India. The Jerusalem Development Authority (JDA) had previously issued a notice in late September indicating intent to award ROPES a contract without a public tender. ROPES did not comment on whether political or legal controversies surrounding occupied territory factored into its choice.
International Withdrawals and Project Scrutiny
The withdrawal follows earlier decisions by four other European firms—three French companies and one Swiss firm—to step away from the initiative due to political sensitivities. Among them, French firm CNA pulled out within the past year, alongside Switzerland's Histec Engineering. In 2015, the French government also advised a domestic firm against getting involved.
Despite the contractor setbacks, a spokesperson for the JDA told Haaretz that the cable car development is advancing on schedule following the dismissal of legal petitions by Israel's high court. The authority noted that steps remain subject to mandatory tender laws and that a formal tender is being prepared for publication in the coming months.
Local Impact and Opposition
Approved by the Israeli government in 2019, the proposed 1.4-kilometre cable car line would connect West Jerusalem to a planned 16,000-square-metre tourist facility promoted by the Elad Foundation. Elad is a settler group focused on expanding Israeli control within Palestinian sections of East Jerusalem. The state-funded project carries an estimated cost of approximately half a billion shekels.
Archaeological, planning, and human rights organisations have strongly criticised the route. Planning rights organisation Bimkom reported that the project directly threatens 54 Palestinian homes and roughly 450 residents in the Wadi Hilweh neighbourhood of Silwan. Israeli authorities have already issued 17 expropriation notices covering approximately 8.7 dunams (2.15 acres) to erect support pylons. Bimkom noted that cable cars would pass as close as four metres above rooftops, infringing on privacy and future building rights.
Israeli heritage group Emek Shaveh argued that the scheme seeks to alter the historic landscape and consolidate settler influence by displacing local Palestinian communities from the historic basin.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Why did ROPES withdraw from the Jerusalem cable car project?
- ROPES chief executive Stephan Obexer stated that the Italian consultancy declined the contract due to an existing work commitment in India.
- What route will the planned cable car take?
- The 1.4-kilometre line is designed to connect West Jerusalem to a planned tourist complex promoted by the Elad settler organisation in occupied East Jerusalem.
- How does the cable car project affect Palestinian residents?
- Rights groups report that the project threatens 54 homes and 450 residents in Silwan, with cable cars passing within four metres of rooftops and land expropriated for pillars.
