Mount Meron

Reporters Notebook: Israel’s northern border amid peace and war

Despite ongoing tensions, Israel's northern border shows signs of quiet resilience as local communities resume life amid rising security threats.

Northern Israel registers peace amid the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS walk through a forest near the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, northern Israel, attempting to reach the Lag BaOmer celebrations after the site was closed by police following Home Front Command restrictions, May 5, 2026.

Meron rabbi arrested over serious sex-crime allegations

People watch on as bonfires burn for Lag Ba'omer on May 4, 2026.

Over 20 people taken to hospital during Mt. Meron Lag Ba'omer celebration - report

View of the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron, northern Israel, May 1, 2024.

Police disperse hundreds of civilians from Mount Meron attempting to light fires for Lag Ba'omer


Ex-Israel Police official: Guardian of the Walls was just the beginning

Retired police official Uri Bar-Lev warned that the police "will not be able to meet their goals; the next incident will be much more serious."

Lt.-Col. Dori Saar during Operation Guardian of the Walls.

Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai is a disgrace - editorial

Israel deserves a better police force and the police deserve a better chief. It will be impossible to truly rehabilitate the police while Kobi Shabtai remains in the top position.

 Chief of police Kobi Shabtai, Minister of Public Security Omer Bar Lev and Israeli police officers at the Israel Police Independence Day ceremony at the National Headquarters of the Israel Police in Jerusalem May 1, 2022.

Police requests for reinforcements before Meron Disaster went unanswered - report

"We need reinforcements...Where are all the officers who are lounging around? They need to come here!" pleaded officers over radio.

Israeli rescue forces and police near the scene of a stampede that killed dozens and wounded dozens over 100 during the celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer on Mt. Meron, in northern Israel on April 30, 2021

Haredi MK demands full control over Meron disaster probe from Netanyahu

Sources involved in the negotiations say that a final decision on Porush's demands has not been made yet and that it "remains in discussion."

Meir Porush, Minister of Jerusalem and Israel's Traditions, March 27, 2019.

Meron disaster panel sets hearing date for Netanyahu, warned officials

The inquiry has questioned top political officials, all of whom had been holding their breath about whether the inquiry would place the blame on them during an election season.

The bodies of the victims of the tragedy at Mount Meron on Lag Ba'omer.

Can next Israeli gov't cancel, ignore three major state inquiries? - analysis

Amid the focus on the corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu, most have forgotten the three state inquiries: The Submarine Affair, Mount Meron tragedy and Gilboa Prison breakout.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu climbs out after a visit inside the Rahav, the fifth submarine in the fleet, after it arrived in Haifa's port

Mount Meron committee issues second interim recommendations

The commission was established in mid-2021 following the death of 45 men and boys on April 30, 2021, in a mass crush on Mount Meron, the site of the tomb of Talmudic sage Shimon Bar Yochai.

 THEN-PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu stands to the right of then-internal security minister Amir Ohana and Police Chief Insp.-Gen. Kobi Shabtai, during their visit to the scene of the tragedy at Mount Meron last year.

Israel Police already looking to life after chief Kobi Shabtai

The police commissioner's tenure has been marred by controversy and disaster, and he is only halfway through.

 Chief of police Kobi Shabtai  tesitfies before the Meron Disaster Inquiry Committee, in Jerusalem, on April 11, 2022.

14 Days: Schools reopen

Israeli news highlights from the past two weeks.

 Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid meets schoolchildren on the first day of the Israeli school year, September 1, 2022.

45 Israelis were killed at Meron, why is no one accountable? - opinion

When officials see those tactics work, why would they even bother trying to fix the problems that plague Israel? Why would they bother trying to solve some of the decades-old challenges Israel faces?

 THEN-PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu stands to the right of then-internal security minister Amir Ohana and Police Chief Insp.-Gen. Kobi Shabtai, during their visit to the scene of the tragedy at Mount Meron last year.