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Abstract
The significance of the Western Wall in Jerusalem has undergone numerous transformations over time. Originally a supporting wall for the Temple Mount, it became the focus of mourning after the Temple's destruction, and later a symbol for national rebirth; after the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel reclaimed it as part of its capital. Since then, two trends have been notable: strict religious authorities have taken charge of the site, and this transfer has been portrayed as part of an overall and purportedly inevitable shift in modern Israeli history. But the subsuming of national-historical significance of the Western Wall into a narrower religious one was not inevitable, and this article presents a number of viable policy alternatives that were available in 1967. Moreover, it suggests that the current status of the wall and policy towards it are outliers relative to mainstream public opinion, an example of political expediency conflicting with public interest.
Contributor Notes
LAURA WHARTON is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a member of Jerusalem's City Council. For research subsequently published as the book Is the Party Over? How Israel Lost Its Social Agenda she was awarded the Prime Minister's Award in memory of PM Levi Eshkol. Today she focuses on religious-state relations. Email: laura.wharton@mail.huji.ac.il