A group of leading international architects is appealing to Israel's government to halt its controversial plan to build a cable car to Jerusalem's Old City.
Developers say the proposed project is meant to relieve snarling traffic and will ferry some 3,000 tourists an hour directly to the Old City, in east Jerusalem.
It follows a series of Israeli projects in the combustible city that have angered Palestinians.
Some 30 architects, including Santiago Calatrava, famed for designing Jerusalem's Chords Bridge, celebrated American architect Thom Mayne and Israeli-born Moshe Safdie added their voices to public outcry against the project Sunday in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It called the cable car a threat to Jerusalem's "ancient landscape and precious heritage," and accused powerful interest groups of prioritizing tourism and political agendas over religious and cultural values.
