Israel’s Supreme Court rips at Netanyahu’s government for its failure to implement the court’s decision to create a separated prayer space for Judaism’s Reform Movement at the Kotel Plaza.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

The Supreme Court slammed the government over delays in the implementation of the Kotel (Western Wall) plan, despite a pledge by the government to create a mixed gender prayer space for the Reform and Conservative movements at the holy site.

The comments were made in the context of a hearing that was held this morning (Monday), following an appeal by eight non-Orthodox organizations against the Prime Minister, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, and the Rabbi of the Kotel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch.

Channel 2 reported that in the course of the hearing, the president of the court, Miriam Naor, said to the state’s representatives that the matter is being drawn out endlessly. She further scolded the government, saying it was not the court’s responsibility to clean up messes of the coalition’s making.

The remains of Robinson’s Arch on the western side of the Temple Mount – Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons

It should be remembered that, according to the Kotel Plan, the southern portion (around Robinson’s Arch) is to be dedicated to prayer which is not in accord with traditional Jewish Law, rather following the customs of non-Orthodox streams, and that representatives thereof will participate in the committee overseeing the southern expanse.

In exchange for dedicating the southern expanse for their use, the non-Orthodox streams will refrain from insisting on petitioning the Supreme Court to use the Kotel plaza.

At the end of the hearing, Gilad Kariv, director of the Reform Movement in Israel, said that the court had issued a warning card to the government on their failure to execute the decision to create a egalitarian prayer plaza at the Western Wall.

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http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217656