"The Mount of Olives is not merely a cemetery but a
historical, spiritual and cultural site, and this is a
national issue requiring monetary investment," said Jerusalem
and Diaspora Affairs Minister MK Natan Sharansky, during a
meeting of the Knesset State Comptroller Committee held at
the request of Committee Chairman MK Amnon Cohen (Shas) to
obtain the State Comptroller's opinion on the neglect of the
Mount of Olives.
Sharansky also said the State of Israel is constantly warning
about the condition of Jewish cemeteries abroad while at home
nothing is being done for the Mount of Olives.
The chairman of the Jerusalem Movement, Rabbi Chaim Miller,
who brought attention to the matter and contacted the
chairman of the Comptroller Committee, said there is nothing
preventing the Mount of Olives from becoming a major national
site since generations of great figures from the Jewish
nation are buried there.
Prime Minister's Office Chief Ilan Cohen said that according
to the government's decision of one month ago, an
international team was set up to map the figures associated
with the cemetery and to propose a master plan covering
renovation, maintenance and guard patrols, including a
timetable and means of funding. The team is to present the
State Comptroller Committee with a progress report within the
next three weeks.
State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg recommended a realistic
approach that draws a distinction between matters that can be
solved in the immediate future, such as security
arrangements, and matters in need of long-term attention.
MK Uri Ariel (HaIchud HaLeumi) said the state of the Mount of
Olives is shameful. MK Ron Cohen (One Israel) described the
situation at the Mount of Olives as "a disgrace and a
desecration of the honor of the dead and the living."
