High Court instructs state to advance Western Wall egalitarian plaza upgrade, without further delays

The High Court of Justice instructs the State of Israel to move forward with completing the necessary bureaucracy to obtain building permits to restore and upgrade the Western Wall egalitarian plaza, following a hearing on the topic on Tuesday, three years after the last one.

In its decision, the court says that the state and the Jerusalem Municipality shall submit an update on the matter within 90 days.

The egalitarian prayer section, also known as Ezrat Israel, is located at the southeastern end of the Wall. It is not easily accessible, nor does it offer facilities such as restrooms or full access to people with disabilities. Worshippers praying there have not been able to directly touch the Wall since 2018.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the representatives of the state and the Jerusalem Municipality blamed each other for the delay in implementing a 2017 directive to upgrade the platform and restore its direct access to the Wall.

The Jerusalem Municipality’s attorney also stated that a new cabinet’s approval was necessary for granting building permits for the works, although the cabinet had already approved the upgrade in 2016.

In its decision, the court clarifies that no additional approval is required, but the parties may request renewed approval from the Israel Antiquities Authority. Following that, the state will need to file the application for building permits within 14 days and an appeal to the Committee for Planning and Building, Jerusalem District, if no answer is received within 45 days.

“For nine years, the state and the municipality have been dragging their feet and refusing to promote an egalitarian, respectful, and accessible alternative in the Ezrat Israel,” Attorneys Ori Narov and Orly Erez-Likhovski, who represent the Reform Movement in Israel, one of the petitioners, say in a statement. “Now, the Court is ordering an end to the foot-dragging.”