Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of the Environment Zeev Elkin, who will be running for the position of Mayor of Jerusalem this fall, has come out strongly against the current Kosel agreement that sees Reform worshippers having a space on the wall to pray.

Just hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced to the cabinet that he would personally oversee the implementation of the Kosel agreement, Elkin said that he would work against the agreement that gives legitimacy to Reform and egalitarian worshippers to pray at the Kosel.

The Cabinet discussed this morning finding a replacement for Minister of Culture and Sports Miri Regev, who resigned her position from the committee responsible for the implementation of the Kosel agreement last week. As all of the Ministers refused to take up the mantle, Netanyahu himself said that he would delay the vote on finding a replacement until Sunday evening, and that the appointment would be made via a vote conducted by telephone.

Elkin told Kikar Shabbat media outlet that: “It is no secret that I came out against the agreement the first time it was discussed. It is an agreement that gives legitimacy to hold Reform and conservative prayer services at the Kotel, therefore I have suggested to the Prime Minister that he not connect everything that is happening there to the Reform Movement, because as it currently stands, the area which they use is under the auspices of the organization in charge of the Development of the Jewish Quarter, and falls under the jurisdiction of the Building Ministry. I also recommended to the cabinet not to make decisions without consulting the Rabbis first, and that there should be a discussion regarding this issue as it is very sensitive.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)