Jerusalem Affairs Ministry Director-General Shimon Elbaum, who oversees the Lag Ba'omer celebration at Meron, sent a sharply worded letter to Transportation Ministry Director-General Moshe Ben Zaken, accusing the Transportation Ministry of refusing to operate the required transportation system and warning that without a solution, the event will not take place this year.
"Following coordination with the responsible minister, Dr. Shlomo Karhi," Elbaum wrote, “and after it became clear that the Transportation Ministry is not activating the required transportation system in accordance with government decisions, the law, and the approved framework, I wish to clarify the following: As per the law regulating the Lag Ba'omer celebration at Meron, access to the site is permitted only via designated public transportation and special travel tickets. This is a fundamental condition for maintaining controlled and limited entry in line with Home Front Command guidelines."
Elbaum stressed that the reduced framework for holding the event was approved by all security authorities and is based on regulating crowd flow and controlling the number of participants at any given time.
"Failure to operate the transportation system according to the approved framework makes it impossible to implement this mechanism," he warned. "This directly undermines the ability to enforce the plan in accordance with Home Front Command directives. In such a situation, serious public disorder, unusual congestion, uncontrolled arrivals, and a real risk of dangerous crowding and clashes with enforcement forces are expected."
"Therefore, since the Transportation Ministry does not intend to fulfill its role in implementing the approved framework, it will not be possible to hold the Lag Ba'omer celebration at Meron in a safe manner. Under these circumstances, and with great regret, we are forced to announce that in 2026 no Lag Ba'omer events will take place at Meron. It should be clarified that responsibility for all consequences stemming from this, including risks to public safety, congestion, disorder, and danger to human life, will rest with the Transportation Ministry."
On Friday, a new outline for the Lag Ba'omer celebration on Mount Meron was published, according to which three bonfire-lighting ceremonies will be held under police management, with up to 200 participants at each bonfire.
The plan follows a Friday afternoon decision by the Home Front Command limiting outdoor gathering along the Israel-Lebanon border and in the Meron area to 200 participants, and indoor gatherings in those areas to 600 participants.