Israeli officials under scrutiny over warnings ahead of festival stampede deaths

People light candles in memory of the 45 ultra-Orthodox Jews killed in a stampede at a religious festival on Friday, during a candle-light vigil in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 1, 2021. The stampede early Friday had cut short the annual festival of Lag BaOmer on Israel’s Mount Meron. The festival had drawn some 100,000 people in the largest gathering. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Officials are coming under growing scrutiny for ignoring warnings about safety lapses at one of Israel’s most visited holy sites, as the country mourned 45 ultra-Orthodox Jews killed in a stampede at a festival.

The disaster at Mount Meron also heated up the debate over the role of the ultra-Orthodox minority in Israel and the refusal of some of its leaders to acknowledge the authority of the state.