On Dec. 27, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz decided to name a new train station in Jerusalem's Old City after US President Donald Trump. The station, which will be located just a few dozen meters from the Western Wall, has yet to be built. Construction would require digging a tunnel under the Old City, which would itself raise an outcry since it could cause potential damage to sites sacred to Muslims, Christian and Jews alike. Experience has shown time and again that just moving a stone in the Old City could set off a powder keg.
Both the United States and Israel announced recently that they were quitting UNESCO over that group's decisions concerning various sacred sites; the decision, which generated angry reactions in Israel and the United States, was made along with claims that the organization has become a political tool exploited to confront Israel. It was no surprise that UNESCO condemned Katz's plans and expressed its concern over changes to the status quo. But there is still time to face that problem.
