Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Monday morning ordered the cancellation of the annual Lag Ba’Omer celebrations in Meron, citing the fragile ceasefire with Lebanon. The decision was made following several security assessments chaired by the Prime Minister.
Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs wrote a letter to government ministers stating that the decision followed the updated Home Front Command guidelines. The revised guidelines include a cap of 1,500 people for gatherings in communities located along the Confrontation Line, as well as in the communities of Meron, Bar Yochai, Or HaGanuz, and Safsufa.
The letter further noted that, due to the current situation, the annual celebrations honoring Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in Meron will not take place this year in their usual large-scale format. Instead, they will be held in a symbolic and limited format, in accordance with civil defense regulations.
It was stressed that the directive stems from “concerns over a potential mass-casualty event due to the fragility of the ceasefire with Lebanon, the site’s proximity to the Lebanese border, the possibility of rocket fire toward the area, and the difficulty of carrying out a large-scale evacuation of participants within the necessary timeframe."
The letter said that specific instructions regarding the symbolic format of the event will be issued closer to the date by the relevant authorities.