The Jerusalem District Court issued an interim order today (Friday) against turning streets in the Mahane Yehuda Market area into pedestrian streets on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The order was issued after the court sent the merchants and the Jerusalem Municipality to a mediation meeting. The meeting was scheduled for last Sunday. However, it then became clear that Nino Peretz was also in the room on behalf of the merchants.
The municipality representatives found this difficult to contain and demanded that Peretz leave and not attend the meeting.
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Why, actually? So it goes like this: About 3 years ago, elections were held for the chairmanship of the merchants' committee. Out of 380 merchants, about 290 chose Nino Peretz, an absolute majority by all accounts.
Where is the problem? So, in the local elections for the Jerusalem municipality, Peretz supported Zev Elkin. Related or not (in the townspeople respond: they don't know the story), when Moshe Leon ascended to the mayor's throne, he decided to appoint Tali Friedman to represent the merchants. Didn't they choose her? Well, 'a small problem.' The mayor appointed, peace and all the best.
Nino Peretz is planning and wants to hold elections and prove that most merchants are still with him, and in the meantime, the story of the controversy over the 'pedestrian street project' has fallen apart and the market has been shaken. In the end, the municipality gave in and Nino Peretz participated in the arbitration meeting.
Following the meeting, an interim order was issued today, as mentioned, by the District Court.
The order was issued at the request of business owners and residents on the streets adjacent to the market, who petitioned the court claiming that the project was launched without authority, without public participation, and in serious violation of their rights.
The court, in its interim order, imposed restrictions on the project and required the municipality, until the petition is decided, not to harm the accessibility of residents with disabilities and to provide parking solutions for all residents and business owners.
Is this the end of the story? Absolutely not. For now, the municipality has been ordered by the court to respond to the petition as early as next week.
Attorney Simcha Rothman, who represented the petitioners, said: "The court sent a significant message to the municipality today, and it is hoped that the municipality will announce that it is withdrawing from the project, which was carried out without proper planning and while ignoring the well-being of the residents, and will work to promote and improve the area while coordinating and communicating with the residents and business owners for the benefit of all residents of the city.""
