Religious Services Ministry Begins Tomb of Patriarchs Closure Preparations

The Religious Services Ministry ordered preparations to close the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron within 14 days because no legally authorized source is available to fund its operations. The directive calls for locking the entrances and suspending visits, tours and events until funding is secured. The site had relied partly on coalition-agreement funds that were not incorporated into the state budget, while a recent Supreme Court ruling suspended budget requests approved by the Knesset Finance Committee. Ministry Director General Yehuda Avidan said the state cannot make financial commitments without approved funding; the site administration says about one million people visit annually.