From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 27, 2024
Minister tasked with restricting Meron access brought family on banned pilgrimage — report
Minister Meir Porush is facing criticism after a report aired by the Kan public broadcaster revealed that he arranged for his wife and three adult children to accompany him on a pilgrimage to Mount Meron, even as he promoted heavy restrictions banning all but a few representatives from the northern Israel site over security concerns.
Porush, along with his wife, his daughter, and his two sons, reportedly spent all of Shabbat at the Meron site on the eve of Lag B’omer, when hundreds of thousands traditionally visit the gravesite of second-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Due to the area’s proximity to the Lebanese border, the government passed emergency measures this year barring all but 30 people from worshiping at the site.
The minister’s office said that Porush, who had responsibility over the security precautions that closed the site, was there in order to manage the closure, and that his family members only joined him to help.
His two sons, one of whom is the former mayor of Elad in central Israel, are said to have received permits on the premise that they were their father’s drivers.
“Minister Porush stayed in Meron for a few days before the holiday for management purposes, with the help of a team from his office,” the minister’s office responded in a statement.
“His wife and his daughter helped him with his personal needs over the course of his stay,” the statement continued. “The minister’s sons served as his drivers through round-the-clock shifts, as they have done for years.”
Mount Meron has been bombarded repeatedly by the the Hezbollah terror group, including a barrage of 35 rockets fired at the area earlier today. Aside from the shrine, the mountain is home to a sensitive military installation.
