Netanyahu told the high-ranking delegation of religious leaders that he was committed to implementing the plan but suggested that certain modifications would be necessary to overcome objections voiced by his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners. […]

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, told Haaretz that he and his colleagues had requested a meeting with the prime minister “to express our deep concerns and frustrations” with the government foot-dragging in implementing the agreement.

“We told him that we must see real progress and that this is not only an issue for North Americans but also for Israelis,” said Jacobs. “We expect that this historic agreement simply must come to be.”

Even before the controversy was resolved, Netanyahu told his interlocutors he would be willing to go ahead with certain confidence-building measures, including beginning work on expanding and renovating the existing plaza at the southern part of the Western Wall. He also promised to provide the Jewish Agency with funding to help support the non-Orthodox movements in Israel.