Kotel Expansion Debate Continues

By Rachel Max ‘24
        Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated that he is not planning on implementing the 2016 plan for the Kotel plaza expansion due to opposition from right-wing members of his party, leaving Israel’s Rabbinical Assembly sorely disappointed.

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Earlier this year, a statement issued by the Israel’s Rabbinical Assembly read, “The Conservative/Masorti movement organizations feel betrayed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s government’s ongoing refusal to implement the 2017 Kotel Agreement.” The statement continued, “It is inconceivable that the government of Israel should continue to prevent freedom of prayer and equal rights to all Jews.”
The 2016 agreement, which came to be known as the 2017 Kotel agreement, was passed after three long years of debate. The plan was to expand the Kotel plaza and add an egalitarian section to allow for mixed and or female-only services to be held, which is currently not allowed. However, due to pressure from ultra-orthodox parties, the plans were put on hold until they were officially canceled in 2017.
Currently, the situation is viewed as a political issue rather than as a religious issue, allowing it to become such a contested topic that propaganda relating to this debate has even reached America.
On Jan. 17, 2022, local Jewish newspaper The Jewish Link contained a two-page ad titled in big letters, filled with statements such as “The holiest place on earth. Defiled,” and, “Kedusha of the Kotel Under Attack.” 
This campaign against the 2017 Kotel Agreement was carried out despite the fact that Bennet has gone on record stating they will not be implementing the plan, and, even if the plan was enacted, he would create a joint committee, allowing both sides to operate how they like while not getting in each other’s way.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Bennett has met with both Reform and Conservative leaders late this winter, and although no official decisions have been made, “several people who participated in the meeting said it was very positive.”  The article goes on to say “Bennett committed to ensuring the right to pray at the Western Wall without being harassed and to improving its physical infrastructure in a significant way.”
Junior Daniel Shapiro said, “I think that it’s important that we expand the Kotel’s seating arrangement to accommodate the changing world we live in.”