Uncovering a Secret: The Military Cable Car of King David's Tomb

You've probably visited the cable car at Mount Hermon, or perhaps the ones at Masada and Rosh Hanikra. But there was another cable car in Israel, not many knew about it: the one that crossed the Valley of Hinnom from Mount Zion to Mishkenot Sha'ananim.

In the spring of 1948, Palmach forces took position on Mount Zion, near the Old City, planning an assault to capture it from the Jordanians. The assault failed, and Jewish residents of the Old City were taken captive by the Jordanians, leading to a ceasefire. Mount Zion remained in Israeli hands, while the rest of the Old City stayed with the Jordanians. Jews frequently visited King David's Tomb, from where they could see the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, "only with their eyes."

Across the horizon from Mount Zion were the neighborhoods of Mishkenot Sha'ananim and Yemin Moshe. They were under Jewish control but separated by the deep Valley of Hinnom, a real threat. Any attempt to cross it met with fierce Jordanian fire. IDF soldiers dug a long trench to safely cross the valley, but traversing the trench took hours, during which injured soldiers and ammunition were transported across. To solve this, Uriel Hefetz, an experienced engineer, designed a 50-meter-high cable car from a structure near King David's Tomb to the ophthalmology hospital in Mishkenot Sha'ananim. The cable car could carry up to 250 kg, operated by three soldiers from each side, allowing for heavy loads to be transferred in just two minutes.

What set this cable car apart was its collapsible design. If the Jordanians noticed it, they would fire upon it relentlessly. It was designed so that the cable could be dismantled and laid at the bottom of the valley. Operated only at night and without lighting, the cable was stretched, the car transferred, and then disassembled and hidden back on the ground. For months, IDF soldiers used it to maintain a link between the Israeli-held sites. Eventually, other means were found, and the cable car fell out of regular use. However, it remained on standby for emergencies, its existence a well-kept military secret. Even after the Six-Day War, the future of East Jerusalem was uncertain, so its existence was still kept secret. Only in 1972, five years after the war, was the existence of the cable car revealed to the public.

Today, there's a museum commemorating the cable car's operation, in the very room from which the cable once emerged, now part of Hotel Mount Zion, what used to be the ophthalmology hospital. Beside it, a hanging bridge crosses the Valley of Hinnom, inviting pedestrians to walk amidst stunning views. It's the longest suspension bridge in the country. An actual cable car is planned from the old railway station to Mount Zion, to ease access for pilgrims to the Temple Mount during holidays and rush times.