Women of the Wall on Monday held Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall Monday, despite the explicit prohibition by Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit to do so. Some 120 women participated in the ceremony.

The police allowed the ceremony to take place and even arrested a heckler, Matti Dan, chairman of the Ateret Cohanim settler group, who was disturbing the ceremony. […]

Attorney General Mendelblit’s decision states that a female version of the priestly blessing ceremony, which has no precedent, is forbidden in accordance with the protection of holy places, prohibiting prayer among other activities at holy sites that do not adhere to “local customs.”

The Women of the Wall group responded saying that “The letter of the Ministry of Religious Services only referred to the Priestly Blessing ceremony during the intermediate days Passover. This isn’t the same as holding the Priestly Blessing as part of the Rosh Chodesh (new month) service, a service which is uncontroversial.”