A woman undressed Sunday morning in the Western Wall plaza, in protest of the Shas party “sleeve law”, which the party members were prevented by Prime Minister Netanyahu from approving. The law would set a six-month prison term for those who harm the Jewish-Orthodox consensus on respectful behavior in holy sites.
The woman arrived in the morning hours at the female section of the Western Wall, undressed, and remained in only her underwear, despite the chilly weather as an act of provocation. From various reports, it appears that she asked to other women to become involved before she disrobed, but this did not happen in the end.
There were few people at the Western Wall at the time, partly due to the cold, but several women approached her and protested the act. In a short time, she was escorted by police officers from the compound and taken for further questioning.
.@jonathans_tobin: Netanyahu’s Western Wall Decision Gives the Lie to Democracy Hysteria https://t.co/dc6btjOKa4
— L H Brok (@LHBrok) February 13, 2023
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, Rabbi of the Western Wall, said that he felt "deep shock and pain at the despicable provocation that was carried out this morning on the Western Wall plaza while trampling on the sanctity of the place and hurting the feelings of the public and the worshippers. The Western Wall is sacred to every Jew and Jewess, and it must be kept united and outside of all controversy and provocation. "
In fact, the bill that was turned down seeks to anchor the Orthodox image of the Western Wall and in addition to preventing the 'phenomena' as they called it, of desecration of the holy place. According to the proposal, prayers of men and women will not be held together at the Western Wall; both men and women would have to be 'respectfully dressed'; and in the women's section, they will not be allowed to take out a Torah scroll, blow a shofar, wrap a tallit, or wear tefillin. Following the storm caused by the law, in the opposition, and in the coalition, Shas senior officials said that the law would undergo changes and be softened.
I didn't know that animals were allowed in the western wall. pic.twitter.com/x8UHX7ZSPK
— Roxi 🇮🇱 (@Roxi2002_) February 13, 2023
In addition, as part of the proposal, it was established that it will not be possible to wear inappropriate clothing at the Western Wall, set up kiosks, play musical instruments without permission, slaughter, smoke, or spend the night in the Western Wall area. Anyone who would violate any of these rules would be imprisoned for up to six months or be fined 10,000 NIS.
President Mahmoud Abbas: "We alone have the religious, historical, and legal right to Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall)." pic.twitter.com/ZMxfOYJM7D
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) February 12, 2023
Knesset Member Uriel Bosso, the initiator of the proposal, stated that "the goal is to preserve the dignity of the place. Everyone understands that it is inappropriate to party, smoke, or hold festivals near the Holy Western Wall. The law talks about appropriate and respectful clothing like in the Israeli Knesset for example. It's clear to everyone that you can't hang out at the Kotel. This is all respectable as is customary today. There will be no commotion over a short sleeve like suggested by opposers, as there has never been to this point."
