From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Knesset panel starts discussing Western Wall bill aimed at banning any activity prohibited by Orthodox Chief Rabbinate
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleRossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
The Knesset Law and Constitution Committee starts discussing a divisive bill that would ban and criminalize any activity at Jewish holy sites that is deemed contrary to the guidelines and decisions of the Chief Rabbinate.
The Chief Rabbinate generally upholds a strict version of Orthodox Judaism, and its heads, the Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis, have traditionally been ultra-Orthodox rabbis.
It is highly unlikely that the bill can be approved into law before the expected proceedings to dissolve the Knesset, which could happen as early as the beginning of next week.
The bill is sponsored by MK Avi Maoz, the only representative of the far-right national religious party Noam. It was approved by the plenum in a preliminary reading in February, and it will need three more readings to be passed into law (the second and third usually happen on the same day). The purpose of today’s committee meeting is to start preparing the bill for its first reading in the plenum.
The bill aims to amend the 1967 Protection of the Holy Places law, which states that “the Holy Places shall be protected from desecration and any other violation and from anything likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the different religions to the places sacred to them.”
The law carries a penalty of seven years for violators and determines that the religious affairs minister is responsible for implementing it in consultation with “representatives of religions” and with the consent of the justice minister.
The bill would give the Chief Rabbinate exclusive authority to represent Judaism.
Over the past few months, the chief rabbis have reiterated that they do not accept any non-Orthodox Jewish religious practice in any part of the Western Wall area, including in the Ezrat Israel egalitarian plaza, where Jewish liberal movements currently hold their services.
The bill is denounced by Jewish liberal movements.
Also, the Beyadenu group, which promotes Jewish visits and prayers to the Temple Mount, which is a holy site for both Jews and Muslims who refer to it as Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, expressed reservations about the bill.
The Chief Rabbinate maintains it is forbidden for Jews to visit the Temple Mount, due to the risk of desecrating the area where the Jewish Temple stood.
The Times of Israel Community.