Jerusalem: A Streetcar Undesired

(I love headlines that pretty much write themselves, don't you?)


The Wall Street Journal has an excellent feature look at a major imbroglio making tracks across the Holy City. And that's precisely the problem:

At a time when conflict over Gaza is pouring yet more poison into the gulf separating Israelis from Palestinians, a repeatedly stalled and still unfinished Jerusalem tram project is galvanizing the city's feuding camps against a common foe.

The whole project, says Mayor Nir Barkat, voicing a view widely shared across religious and ethnic lines, has been "a very negative experience."

I took photos of the first groundbreaking at the entrance to the city several years ago, for The Jerusalem Post's, "In Jerusalem," weekly metro magazine. I'll add photos and maps soon, so stop back.

Meanwhile, read the rest.

Official project page (Hebrew, with English and photos)

Wikipedia.

Drora has some great photos.

(H-T: Harry)