In a bid to prevent a repeat of the 2021 tragedy that killed 45 people, the Knesset has overwhelmingly (23-0) passed a bill regulating the Lag BaOmer visits to Meron.

According to the bill, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Meir Porush will have the authority to determine the maximum number of attendees, and overnight stays at the complex will require permits. Additionally, the number of bonfires will be limited to one primary lighting event, with additional bonfires requiring permission from the minister to maintain public safety.

The move comes after a state commission of inquiry into the 2021 disaster found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be one of those personally responsible for the tragedy. Despite Netanyahu’s rejection of the report, Porush has promised to implement the commission’s recommendations ahead of the coming Lag B’Omer pilgrimage in May.

“We must ensure that such a tragedy never happens again,” Porush said. “We will do everything in our power to make sure that the pilgrimage to Mount Meron is safe for all.”

The legislation is being advanced as a temporary measure due to the short period between the report’s release and the upcoming Lag BaOmer.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)