JERUSALEM - Israel's cabinet on Sunday approved plans to invest millions of shekels in a five-year project to develop the plaza next to the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites in Jerusalem's Old City.

The plans to improve access to both the Wall as well as to nearby archaeological sites, were outlined in a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which said it would invest 85 million shekels ($23 million, €17 million) in the project.

Construction work in the Old City, particularly around the Western Wall which backs onto the Al-Aqsa mosque compound housing Islam's third holiest site, is one of the most contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has a history of triggering unrest.

"The aim of the plan is to improve access for millions of visitors to the site and also to the archaeological sites, and to upgrade the infrastructure and the transport infrastructure in the area," the statement said.

"The goal of the plan is to preserve, and improve accessibility to, archaeological findings," it said, mentioning improved access for private cars, public transport and emergency vehicles, as well as improving disabled access to the site.

The 2011-2015 plan follows on from a project first approved in 2004, the results of which led to a "huge growth" in the number of annual visitors to the Western Wall, rising from two million to eight million in 2009, the statement said.

The project will be directed by Netanyahu's office and carried out in conjunction with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

It will be financed by a number of government offices including the interior, tourism, education and defence ministries.

"The Western Wall is the most important heritage site for the people of Israel, and we are committed to developing and preserve it so it will continue to be the focal point and a source of inspiration for millions of visitors, tourists, both old and young, from Israel and abroad," Netanyahu was quoted as saying in the statement.

Last month, planners in Jerusalem said they were considering creating the first new "gate" into the Old City in more than 100 years as part of a broader plan to improve access and intensify the tourist profile of the Western Wall.

The gate would take the form of an underground tunnel which would run under the Old City's southern walls and lead to a multi-storey car park in the Jewish quarter.

Old City construction projects have sparked violence in the past.

In 1996, more than 80 people were killed in three days of riots during Netanyahu's first term of office when he authorised the opening of a new entrance to an archaeological tunnel near the holy sites.

Huge protests also erupted when Israel began repair work on a damaged stone ramp leading to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, enraging Muslims around the world.

Each year, more than eight million people visit the Western Wall, Israel's biggest tourist attraction which is revered by Jews as the last remaining remnant of the Second Temple.

Above the wall is the area known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif or Noble Sanctuary, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third holiest site in Islam.

Israel considers Jerusalem to be its eternal and indivisible capital, a claim not recognised by the international community. The Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their promised state.

Source: AFP