Israel minister wants to name future Jerusalem train station after Trump

Ronen Zvulun | AFP | Getty Images

President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 22, 2017.

Israel’s transportation minister is pushing ahead with a plan to extend Jerusalem’s soon-to-open high speed rail line to the Western Wall, where he wants to name a future station after President Donald Trump.

Yisrael Katz’s plan involves constructing two underground stations and excavating over two miles of tunnel beneath downtown Jerusalem and its politically and historically sensitive Old City. The Western Wall is the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Transportation Ministry Spokesman Avner Ovadia says the project is estimated to cost more than $700 million and, if approved, would take four years to complete.

The proposal will likely face opposition from the international community, which doesn’t recognize Israeli sovereignty over east Jerusalem.

The Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high-speed line is expected to open next spring.