The Shabbat War in Tel Aviv receives backing from Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar: After the Tel Aviv Municipality enacted the bylaw that would allow the continued operation of supermarkets that were open until today on the city streets, a minister theFaces of the law.
The minister approved business activity in special entertainment complexes, and the operation of convenience stores in gas station complexes.
In his decision, the minister wrote: "It was not discussed in the City Council, nor was it explained in the explanatory notes, how it was decided on which streets it would be possible to open supermarkets and what the characteristics of these streets were; how it was decided how many supermarkets could be opened on each street; why only one supermarket was allowed to open on a certain street, while on other streets a higher number of supermarkets were allowed to open, while on the remaining streets no supermarkets were allowed to open at all; it was not explained why it was determined that the rules would apply specifically to supermarkets with an area of up to 800 square meters.".
The Minister of the Interior explained that the municipality's new law is nothing less than a reward for criminals: "Those criminal business owners who have operated for years in violation of the law and opened their businesses on Shabbat, despite the prohibition to do so, will now receive a 'reward' in the form of an official permit to open their businesses on Shabbat, a permit that originated from their violation of the law in the period prior to the amendment of the bylaw. And this, without the public need for this - and its balance with other public values and goals - being sufficiently clarified.".
Saar accepted the argument presented by the business owners in the petition filed by attorney David Shove, that the municipality's municipal bylaw creates an unequal situation, whereby large businesses can afford to employ non-Jews on rest days, while small businesses are forced to have their stores operated by Jews.
""The provisions of the proposed bylaw violate commercial equality of opportunity and allow unfair competition between wealthy business owners and small businesses. They create pressure on small business owners to open their stores on Shabbat in violation of the law, violating their day of rest and their right to spend time with their families on the general day of rest that is common to all.".
As you may recall, the Supreme Court ruled that opening supermarkets on Shabbat was against the law. Subsequently, the municipality attempted to enshrine the activity in a bylaw, but Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar had to approve such a move.
An appeal to Minister Saar resulted in the "authorization" of the opening on Shabbat of several of the complexes - including commercial complexes at the Tel Aviv Port, the Jaffa Port and the station complex in Neve Tzedek, as well as convenience stores located in gas station complexes.
At the same time, the remaining complexes will not be included in the bylaw to permit their opening on Shabbat, according to Sa'ar, because "this law disproportionately harms the value of Shabbat as the general day of rest in the State of Israel" and because "preserving the character of Shabbat is not only a religious matter, but no less an important cultural, national and social matter.".
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