Justice Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Ayelet Shaked responded to pressure from dati leumi rabbonim and resigned from the ministerial committee addressing the renovations of an area near the Kosel for Reform and Conservative Jews. The senior minister is under attack by those favoring an egalitarian prayer area, accusing the minister of buckling under the pressure of the rabbonim.

Minister Aryeh Deri and Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman, who are leaders of the opposition to recognition on any level of non-religious Jewry at the Kosel, vow to veto any arrangement approved by the ministerial committee. There are also threats of a coalition crisis surrounding the issue.

Last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu removed Minister of Culture & Sports (Likud) Miri Regev from the committee for her unwillingness to support the egalitarian area.

On Sunday, PM Netanyahu told his cabinet “I’ll handle this” after the two ministers failed to cooperate with his plan to create the egalitarian area.

Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita over the weekend turned to cabinet ministers not to approve the renovations. Rav Lau said, “To all the ministers and members of the Knesset and to all those who believe that the holiest tradition of the Jewish people is important to them, to mobilize in this matter and to act in every way to prevent any change in the Kosel Plaza which is not in accordance with halacha to which we have been committed for generations. Committees are established and fall but the Kosel, the remains of the Beis Hamikdash, remains holy forever.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)