Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) has indicated that a much-heralded deal to establish an egalitarian prayer section at Jerusalem’s Western Wall has fallen through, telling his associates “the story is over,” Channel 10 news reported Wednesday.

The compromise was announced in January, but has since come under intense criticism from the ultra-Orthodox community.

According to the Channel 10 report, ultra-Orthodox leaders who had signed off on the deal had not anticipated the level of public backlash it has elicited in their electorate. The coalition’s ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism have now effectively buried the deal by threatening to derail and even quit the government should it go forward.