Jerusalem’s Paris Square – the hotspot for the protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's continued leadership amid his indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust – will undergo a NIS 12m. "facelift" in the next nine months.The renovation will include an artistic new fountain to replace the already-existing one, fresh flowerbeds planted, new street lights, heavily shaded trees, and placing street furniture in the public space to serve city residents.
"The works undertaken to upscale Paris Square are part of the infrastructure upgrading revolution the city is undergoing in recent years," Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said. "We will march forward in this revolution to benefit all city residents and those who visit it."
The news about the renovation arrives on the heels of reports that work on the city’s third light rail line, the Blue Line, will begin in the next few months. The Blue Line will serve the junction the square is currently at, King George Street and Keren Hayesod Street.
Paris Square is an important public space in the city and while it is officially named France Square, nobody calls it that, perhaps due to a 2007 plan to erect a model of the Eiffel Tower on it, the plan never came into being.Previously, it was called Kings Square due to Kings Hotel, which stands nearby. It was one of the first hotels to open in the city in 1956.
Paris Square is also a popular site, as mentioned, for the anti-Netanyahu protests, as the square overlooks the Prime Minister's Residence on Balfour Street.The construction will be done by the Moriah company for the development of Jerusalem.