Eiffel Tower in Paris
Photo: AP
Paris offers Eiffel Tower to Jerusalem
Paris mayor offers Jerusalem an Eiffel Tower miniature to erect in Israeli capital
If you can't go to the Eiffel Tower, the Eiffel Tower will come to you. To mark the 40th anniversary of Jerusalem's unification, the Paris Municipality will grant Jerusalem a smaller version of the tower, which will be erected on Paris Square in the Israeli capital.
French cities have a tradition of offering presents to sister cities across the world. In 1885, the French presented the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a gesture of friendship between the two nations.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe is on a visit in Israel, his eighth since taking office in 1995.
Delanoe met Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansky, and the two agreed to erect the tower in Paris Square near the Prime Minister's Official Residence.
The miniature tower will be 25 meters (about 82 feet) tall.
"Friendly relations developed between Paris and Jerusalem. I believe that the upgraded square which is located in the central location would help maintain relations between the two cities," Lupolianski said.
