The Israeli government is expected to approve plans next week to build a Jewish heritage center on the site of the abandoned Jerusalem International Airport in occupied East Jerusalem, according to Israeli media reports.
Channel 7 said the government will meet next week to approve a proposal by Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu to establish the center in the city’s northern part.
Before Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967, Jerusalem International Airport served as the only airport in the territory. Israel later seized the airport and converted it into a limited domestic airport before shutting it down completely in 2000.
The airport was established in 1920, while British Mandate authorities began using it in 1924. It officially opened to regular flights in 1936.
Channel 7 said the abandoned airport buildings, including the historic passenger terminal, would be restored and transformed into a heritage center highlighting Jerusalem’s role in regional air transport.
