JERUSALEM -- A rickety bridge allowing access to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site is at risk of collapse, according to experts. But the flashpoint shrine's delicate position at ground zero of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has prevented its repair for more than a decade.
The tenuous state of the Mughrabi Bridge has raised fears of another disaster months after a stampede at a religious festival in northern Israel left 45 people dead.
Days after the stampede last May, a municipal engineer hired by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation inspected the Mughrabi Bridge. Citing its poor condition, he urged its immediate replacement and authorized its use only until September.
With a Supreme Court lawsuit pushing for the structure to be repaired, the government could soon be forced into taking action on a problem that it has long avoided because of its broad diplomatic sensitivities with Jordan, the Palestinians and the broader Muslim world.
The bridge, built in 2004, is the sole access point for non-Muslims to reach the contested hilltop compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary.
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Engineers have warned for more than a decade that it is increasingly unsafe. But religious sensitivities and diplomatic deadlock have translated into years of inaction.
The Temple Mount is the holiest place in Judaism, the site where two ancient temples stood. Today, the compound is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and iconic gold-topped Dome of the Rock, and is the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
The competing claims to the site have sparked repeated bouts of violence over the years and helped fuel an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in May.
Days before the Gaza fighting started, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the government-backed organization that manages the Jewish prayer plaza at the base of the mount, had an engineer inspect the bridge.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, engineer Ofer Cohen said the hastily constructed bridge's wooden beams were "in a state of extreme dryness" and severely cracked. He approved use of the bridge until no later than September and urged authorities "to act immediately to replace the bridge in order to make safe its use."
The Mughrabi Bridge hangs over the women's prayer section of the Western Wall plaza, the holiest place where Jews can pray.
In June, a group of women who pray at the wall petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to demand answers from the various authorities, saying the bridge's continued existence was "a violation of the provisions of the law and also creates a real risk to the public." The court is expected to hold a hearing on the matter this week.
The original permit issued by City Hall approved the temporary bridge for the use of police until the ramp could be repaired. It never was.
Diplomatic pressure by neighboring Jordan, which serves as custodian of the Islamic trust managing the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, has made it difficult to act.
Day-to-day affairs at the site are governed by a set of understandings referred to as the "status quo," and any perceived change to these precarious rules has the potential to ignite outrage across the Muslim world.
The Palestinians and Muslims worldwide fear that any shifts -- even one meant to protect public safety -- could lead to an Israeli takeover or partition of the site.
Israel and Jordan reportedly reached an agreement to replace the bridge in 2011, but that deal fell through. At the time, Israel accused Jordan of reneging.
Relations between the two neighbors further soured in the past decade, and Israel's new government has moved to repair ties with Jordan, an important Arab ally, but it is unclear whether they will be able to make progress on the bridge.
