The Supreme Court today (Thursday) rejected the appeal of the Arab Municipality of Hebron against the renovations to make the Cave of the Patriarchs accessible to disabled people.
The three judges, Isaac Amit, Ofer Grosskopf and Alex Stein, unanimously rejected the appeal against them renovation and even criticized the fact that the Cave of the Patriarchs was not made accessible before now.
"Accessibility for people with disabilities is not an act of kindness but a right that is obligatory, which is currently reflected in international conventions, and in Israeli legislation in the Equal Rights for People with Disabilities Law," Justice Amit wrote in the ruling.
According to him, "the accessibility does not harm at all the sanctity of the place and its unique character as a sacred site and as a world heritage site."
The judges noted that making the site accessible will also benefit the Muslims who come to pray at the holy site and wondered why the Arab municipality of Hebron has not acted to make the place accessible to this day. "The accessibility is expected to serve in the future also the Muslims who come to pray at the holy site, as well as the tourists who visit the Cave of the Patriarchs," it was written. "Of course, as much as there is a need for accessibility even at the entrance intended for Muslims, the way is open for the municipality to address this issue, and the wonder is how this has not been done to date."
B'Tzalmo CEO Shai Glick, which has campaigned to make the site disabled accessible, praised the court's ruling. "There are judges in Jerusalem. The court ruled that every person has human rights no matter where he lives and what his religious beliefs are. I would like to thank all those involved and in particular the current and previous Prime Minister who have approved this. I now call on the Minister of Defense to ensure that accessibility is progressed quickly so that by Passover the place will be completely accessible to all visitors regardless of religion, race or nationality. We will continue to work to make public buildings accessible, with an emphasis on religious sites and the tombs of the righteous."