After years of dispute, the decision has been made and the authority and responsibility for Kever Rashbi has been turned over to the Ministry of Religious Services. In the past, the tziyun was under the Ministry of Tourism but on Sunday, 23 Marcheshvan, the decision was made to move it back to the ministry headed by Minister of Religious Services Naftali Bennett.

The decision on Sunday reversed the decision made during the administration of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Minister Tommy Lapid, the current finance minister’s late father.

Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday expressed his backing for the move, which has already been approved by government legal experts.

When Shas was a coalition member it fought to take the authority away from the Tourism Ministry and place it back in the hands of the Ministry of Religious Services. Then came the Committee of Five and years of dispute surrounding what agency is ultimately responsible for the tziyun. On Sunday, the cabinet put an end to these disputes as Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan will now oversee the tziyun.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)