JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli government committee approved the $25 million renovation of 16 national heritage projects and sites.
The Ministerial Committee on the National Heritage, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Tuesday approved the renovation of the sites — among the 150 sites and initiatives included in the "Plan for Renovating and Strengthening National Heritage Sites and Assets" approved in February — at a cost of $25 million. The plan caused some controversy when two West Bank biblical sites, Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs, were added to the list.
Included on the list of the approved renovations is Independence Hall in Tel Aviv.
The committee meeting Tuesday was held at the Ben Tzvi Institute in Jerusalem, home to the wooden cabin used by the second president of the State of Israel, Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi, another site on the list.
"The heritage project is one that we owe ourselves, our children and future generations," Netanyahu said.
