Overview
- Israel Police said the annual Meron gathering was canceled Sunday on the prime minister’s orders after security agencies warned of Hezbollah threats near the northern border.
- Police shut roads and halted public transport to Meron as checkpoints went up, with reports that thousands were already on the mountain and some may try to reach the site on foot through nearby forests.
- Officials approved a fallback plan for three small bonfires of up to 200 people each under Home Front Command limits, though security assessments and forecasted high winds could lead to further cancellations.
- A transport dispute sits at the center of crowd control plans, as Jerusalem Affairs ministry chief Shimon Elbaum warned the event cannot run safely without the Transportation Ministry’s mandated bus-and-ticket system and placed responsibility on that ministry.
- Justice Yitzchak Amit ordered the Transportation Ministry, Israel Railways, police, and others to respond by Tuesday morning to a petition over limited service, while senior rabbis urged people not to travel to Meron and to follow safety directives.