Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on February 22, 2026. The vote would have advanced a bill from Knesset member Avi Maoz of the Noam party to place the entire Western Wall plaza under the Chief Rabbinate and enforce Orthodox prayer customs throughout. The cancellation came two days after the High Court of Justice ordered the government to move forward with upgrades to the egalitarian section at Robinson’s Arch. Coalition partners from Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Otzma Yehudit immediately pledged to force the bill through the full Knesset.

Why Fight Over Prayer Rules in the Lower Plaza?

The Western Wall plaza sits in what was the ancient Court of the Gentiles, an outer area beyond the Soreg balustrade where non-Jews were permitted to pray. Archaeological remains from Herodian street levels show this section lies meters below the Temple Mount platform. The authentic Ezrat Yisrael stood elevated inside the Azarah, adjacent to the altar and restricted to pure Israelite men. Naming the southern Robinson’s Arch area Ezrat Yisrael assigns a sacred title to a common zone that never held that status.

The Bible Demands Exact Adherence to the Pattern

God gave Moses a precise blueprint for the sanctuary. Exodus 25:9 states: “According to all that I show thee, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye make it” (Exodus 25:9). The Hebrew vechen ta’asu means “just so shall you make it,” an unbreakable command against any change. The Sages stress that deviation from this tavnit invalidates the........

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