The Israel Police have announced that, at this stage, no approval will be given for holding the annual pilgrimage on Lag BaOmer due to serious delays in safety work at the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
In a letter sent by the Northern District Police, a troubling picture emerges of production companies and infrastructure contractors are barred from entering the area, and critical works have yet to be carried out.
Among the workss still to be completed were erecting fences, paving evacuation routes, installing firefighting infrastructure and safety systems, all necessary ahead of an event expected to draw hundreds of thousands of worshippers.
"Without these works, the event will not be approved," the letter states. The police added a severe warning: responsibility for any harm to people that occurs due to the lack of proper preparation will be placed on the committee members personally.
The committee rejected the claims. Its director, Ori Vizovsky, replied that the Jerusalem and Heritage Ministry is solely responsible for the pilgrimage and that the committee approached it ten days ago without a response. "There is no objection on our part to the entry of professional teams. The delay is with the ministry," he wrote.