Sources close to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) said on Monday morning that Government Secretary Tzachi Braverman denied reports Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu promised to support the Reform movement's plan for the Kotel (Western Wall).
According to the sources, after Netanyahu promised to support the Kotel draft, Deri turned to Braverman and demanded an explanation.
"Is this Netanyahu's Purim gift to the parties most loyal to him?" Deri said.
"This is a false report," Braverman said. "This is not what Netanyahu said during his meeting. Netanyahu promised he would find a solution, and he will find one."
According to Haaretz newspaper, Netanyahu told the Reform Movement heads he had appointed National Security and Foreign Affairs Minister Tzachi Hanegbi to act as mediator between the haredi parties and the Reform Movement. The goal of the mediation was to be a compromise which would allow the implementation of the Kotel draft plan.
"I am committed to the Kotel draft plan, and therefore I appointed Hanegbi to help the two parties find a solution," Netanyahu said, condemning the verbal attacks the Reform Movement and haredi parties made to each other.
"If insults like these are made in the future, I will oppose and condemn them as well."