A general view shows the plaza of the Western Wall in Jerusalem, amid the coronavirus pandemic, May 6, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.

i24 News – The Israeli government on Sunday approved a $35 million plan to improve the infrastructure of the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The five-year plan aims to increase the number of visits to the site by improving accessibility to public transportation, developing new educational programs, and supporting existing development projects.

Funds for the plan, promoted by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, come from the budgets of the Prime Minister’s Office and various ministries.

“The Western Wall is one of the holiest and most important sites for the Jewish people, and millions of visitors from all over the world regularly visit it,” Bennett said in a statement issued by his office.

“The five-year plan we just approved in the cabinet will continue to improve the necessary infrastructure at the site, and will help encourage many more visitors,” he added.

The new plan is not linked to the so-called Western Wall compromise, which calls for the formalization of a pluralistic prayer pavilion for all streams of Judaism.

The Western Wall is a holy site for the Jewish people, visited by millions from around the world.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the number of visitors to the Western Wall grew from 10m to 12m between 2015-2020.