The Interior Committee held a discussion today (Monday) on the issue of the maintenance and security of the Little Western Wall, during which committee chairwoman MK Miri Regev said: "During the tour, we saw the disgrace in the way the Little Western Wall is maintained. Whether it's in terms of the safety of visitors or in the garbage cans that are kept nearby, and we saw that people are actually urinating on the Little Western Wall. Shame and disgrace, in the place closest to the Temple Mount where Jews can pray, there is a smell of sewage, garbage, and urine.".
The Lesser Wall is a small section of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount from the Second Temple period, which is exposed and not covered by buildings. It is located 175 meters north of the Western Wall Plaza, and adjacent to the Iron Gate. The Lesser Wall is located near the middle of the Western Wall, and is the second place outside the Temple Mount itself in terms of its proximity to the Holy of Holies, where Jews can pray.
MK Regev read words that Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit wrote to her, in advance of the discussion: "I would like to update you that several months ago I held a meeting on the subject with the Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places and with the Secretary-General of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, and I also raised the issue in a meeting I held with the Mayor of Jerusalem. In these meetings, it emerged that the area adjacent to the Small Wall is public land, which is the responsibility of the Jerusalem Municipality. Accordingly, it was agreed with the Mayor that the Municipality will carry out the necessary maintenance work at the Small Wall site, in accordance with the requirements that will be submitted by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.".
MK Regev added that the Israel Police say they are not preventing the Jerusalem Municipality from removing the scaffolding, so if the municipality decides to remove the scaffolding, the police will not prevent them from doing so. "The Jerusalem Municipality is the one responsible for the issue. In preparation for Jerusalem Day, I will visit the site. I hope that when the mayor comes here on Jerusalem Day, this is not the issue I will have to talk to him about, the sewage at the Little Wall.".
Polemic with the Jordanians
Dr. Shmuel Berkowitz, an expert on Jerusalem and the holy places, said in the discussion: "The Minister of Religious Affairs amended regulations that established a list of holy places. The High Court of Justice also determined that this is not a function of regulations, but rather according to a halachic determination. The regulations that determined that the Western Wall is a holy place did not say large and small, but the entire Western Wall. The Chief Rabbinate Council determined that the Small Western Wall is a holy place. There is some apparent political problem here because of which each party is throwing responsibility on the other.".
But it turns out that there are other claimants to the 'Little Western Wall'. David Guvrin, from the Foreign Ministry, said: "The Jordanians have approached us several times in the past claiming that we are changing the status quo in the place. We do not accept the Jordanian claim and we made it clear to them that this is not a Muslim holy site, but a Jewish one. We explained that this is an area outside the Temple Mount, but they are sticking to their position. As far as the Foreign Ministry is concerned, we are adhering to the agreements.".
MK Jamal Zahalka (Balad), who participated in the discussion, passionately argued: "You are all racists who come to divide East Jerusalem and violate the status quo. The extreme right is sleepwalking here." According to him, this is "one of the most sensitive places in the country. It is no coincidence that there have been no prayers there for decades." He claimed that the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva's goal is not to preserve the sanctity of places for Jews, but "to light a fire, to Judaize East Jerusalem and to expel its residents. They have been asking to remove the scaffolding for many years and the government has refrained from doing so. Such discussions only stir up unrest and try to work to Judaize East Jerusalem. It is like throwing a match in a field of thorns.".
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