JERUSALEM (VINnews) The “Women of the Wall” group, known for their repeated provocations at the site of the Western Wall, arrived on Wednesday morning, the second day of Rosh Chodesh, and blocked the main entrance and exit to the Western Wall during a Torah reading ceremony, disregarding instructions from police and Western Wall officials. This occurred despite it being the first day of Ramadan, thereby endangering the thousands present at the site.

During a High Court hearing on Tuesday of petitions regarding the Western Wall, The Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated that the Women of the Wall’s recurring actions each new month constitute ongoing provocations and scenes that, in its view, violate the sanctity of the Western Wall. According to the foundation, this time the actions amounted to a tangible risk to human life, as they blocked the only escape route from the women’s section out of the Kotel plaza.

הפרובקציה השבועית של הנשים הרפורמיות בכותל המערבי. חודש שלם הן לא באירוע, ופתאום בראש חודש מתעוררות להתריס pic.twitter.com/a1DuFMf6Xd

— ישראל כהן (@Israelcohen911) February 18, 2026

On Tuesday evening, the Women of the Wall and the Reform Movement petitions were heard by the Supreme Court of Israel, demanding that women be permitted to bring Torah scrolls into the Western Wall plaza. Seven judges presided over the expanded panel. One of the petitions calls for allowing women to bring Torah scrolls to the Western Wall, or alternatively, granting equal access to Torah scrolls currently held by the Rabbi of the Wall.