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Friday, August 21, 2026
High Court unfreezes funds for Religious Services Ministry after threat to close holy sites
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The High Court of Justice is unfreezing some funds designated for the Religious Services Ministry, after the ministry warned that it would have to close more than 100 holy sites in Israel and the West Bank due to a budget shortfall, according to Hebrew media reports.
Two weeks ago, the High Court had frozen all funds allocated by the Knesset Finance Committee to ultra-Orthodox schools, the Settlements Ministry and the Religious Services Ministry, due to what it said were “apparent procedural flaws” in the convening of the committee itself.
But the court now unfreezes some NIS 30 million ($10 million) for the Religious Services Ministry to prevent the threatened closure of the holy sites, including Rachel’s Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank, and the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in northern Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.