JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Justice Minister Yariv Levin was expected to promote for discussion in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation the bill known as the “Western Wall Law,” in the wake of the ruling issued last Thursday by the Supreme Court regarding the southern plaza at the Western Wall (“Ezrat Israel”). Later, it was reported that the committee meeting had been canceled, as Prime Minister Netanyahu refused to promote the law.

“Following my announcement on Thursday regarding my support for the Western Wall Law, I notified of my decision to bring the law to a vote at the Ministerial Committee for Legislation,” Levin said. “A few minutes ago, I received notice from the Government Secretariat that the committee meeting was canceled. In this situation there is no government position, and therefore I intend to vote in favor of the law in the Knesset plenary. I call on all Members of Knesset, especially coalition members, to do the same and to tell the Supreme Court: enough is enough.”

The proposed legislation, initiated by MK Avi Maoz, seeks to amend the Law for the Protection of Holy Places and clarify that, with respect to the Western Wall,including the southern area, authority over prayer arrangements will be granted exclusively to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel or its representatives. The practical implication of the move, if approved, would be to anchor in law the management of the site according to Orthodox halacha and prevent prayers conducted in other formats at the plaza.

Last Thursday, a panel of seven Supreme Court justices, headed by President Isaac Amit, ruled that the state and the Jerusalem Municipality must initiate the necessary construction approvals to regulate the southern plaza. The area is intended, among others, for use by the Reform and Conservative movements, as well as other groups seeking to pray in non-Orthodox formats. The Court instructed the state to provide an update within three months on the progress of the process.

Coalition members reacted sharply to the ruling. Levin called the decision “illegitimate,” adding that the government and the Knesset “must act without delay” to pass legislation clarifying that management of the Western Wall will be carried out exclusively by the Chief Rabbinate. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that the ruling would be “thrown into the dustbin of history,” while Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri argued that the Court “has no authority to change the character of prayer at the Western Wall.”

Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Rabbi David Yosef and Rabbi Kalman Bar, also voiced opposition to the decision. In a statement, they described it as inappropriate intervention “at the holiest site for the Jewish people” and warned of “incitement and division within the nation.”

By contrast, the Reform Movement welcomed the ruling. Attorneys Orly Erez-Likhovski and Uri Regev, who represented the petitioners, said: “For nine years the state and the municipality have dragged their feet instead of advancing an equal, respectful, and accessible solution at Ezrat Israel. The time has come to put an end to this. After years of delays, now is the time for action.”

The southern plaza (“Ezrat Israel”) currently operates under a temporary arrangement. The petitioners argued that access must be formally regulated, the site made accessible to people with disabilities, and permanently connected to the Western Wall stones.

Alongside the intention to advance the legislation, sources close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu estimated that discussion of the bill may be postponed by several weeks. According to those sources, no final decision has yet been made regarding the timing of the law’s advancement, and the matter remains under consideration.