Will Western Wall dispute topple Israeli government?
Despite earlier agreement by religious representatives to a deal allocating a mixed-gender prayer space near the Western Wall, objections remain, with some among the ultra-Orthodox threatening to topple the government over it.
The dispute over the Western Wall could evolve from a local controversy between ultra-Orthodox and liberal Jewish organizations (the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism known as Progressive Judaism and Women of the Wall) into an unprecedented head-on confrontation between the various religious factions in Israel and could even culminate in the overthrow of the government.
Here's a summary of events: In January, the government made a historic decision to grant liberal Jewish organizations a recognized status at the Western Wall. The plan calls for the appointment of representatives on behalf of liberal Jews to the public council to be set up to manage the Western Wall prayer space, and for the establishment of a special prayer compound next to Robinson's Arch to serve this population.
