Overview
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who early Monday ordered the Meron hillula scrapped in its usual form, directed a pared‑down observance under Home Front Command rules.
- The IDF’s Home Front Command set a 1,500‑person cap for gatherings in Meron and nearby northern communities along the confrontation line.
- Police were told to block pilgrim access to the site, and officials said rules for any limited permits will be issued closer to the date.
- The widely attended bonfire led by Rabbi Elimelech (Meilech) Biderman was moved from Meron to a large outdoor venue in Jerusalem at Yirmiyahu and Shamgar.
- Officials cited the fragile Lebanon ceasefire, the site’s proximity to Hezbollah positions, the risk of rockets, and the difficulty of evacuating crowds that in past years reached about 200,000 people.