Schwinger retorted by saying that the "responsible party in this area is Israel Police, and we must not allow them to run away from this matter...in practice the landlord here in the field, in terms of safety, is the Israel Police."
The police are pointing fingers at the director general of National Center for Development of Holy Places and those responsible for the holy sites in the north – both of which fall under the authority of the Religious Services Ministry. "Why aren't they asking them for answers?" A senior official in the police wondered, "They're the ones who determined when people leave and enter the site, and who lit [the bonfire] and where, and they're responsible for the safety of the area and the engineers who approved the structures. They appeared at all the meetings and debates ahead of the event. Where have they gone all of a sudden?"