Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) responded to today's hearing (Thursday) in the Supreme Court on the government-imposed freeze of the Western Wall partition plan.
According to the Minister, "Today's Supreme Court hearing is unbelievable, because the Reform movement announced that they are not capitulating and they reject the government's outline, and therefore the judges should have dismissed the petition immediately."
Ariel proposed a solution and called upon Religious Services Minister David Azoulay (Shas) to exercise his authority on the matter: "Make regulations and determine the prayer arrangements at the Western Wall in consultation with the Chief Rabbinate, of course, because only you have the authority."
This morning, Supreme Court Justices Miriam Naor, Hanan Meltzer and Yoram Danziger discussed the petitions filed by Women of the Wall and the Reform and Conservative movements against the government's decision to freeze the Western Wall plan.
The judges, President Miriam Naor, Hanan Meltzer and Yoram Danziger, asked the petitioners at the beginning of the hearing whether they would be prepared to return to the government’s compromise plan, if the government also agreed.
The question was raised following the position of the Reform and Conservative movements recently submitted to the Supreme Court, according to which, since the government withdrew from the Western Wall plan, they were reinstating their demand for a place and status in the existing Western Wall plaza.
The petitioners responded in the affirmative and noted that if the government cancels the freeze on the Western Wall plan and begins to implement it, they are willing to withdraw their petition.
During the discussion Naor criticized the government's decision to freeze the plan. "I do not understand what a freeze is. I do not recognize that concept."