The Shabbat struggle in Tel Aviv: Shas Chairman, MK Aryeh Deri, attacks the court's decision not to issue closure orders for supermarkets that opened on Shabbat.
• Court: Supermarkets and pizza shops in Tel Aviv are allowed to open on Shabbat
""The court proved today for the umpteenth time that the rule of law is a flexible matter that is individually tailored to the personal agendas of its judges," says Deri.
Deri added: "Even when there is a clear law, the court found it appropriate to ignore the law at the expense of the Jewish identity of the State of Israel and at the expense of small businesses that are likely to lose their headquarters as a result of the tailwind that the court gave to lawbreakers today.".
The response comes in light of Judge Aviham Barkai's decision this morning not to comply with the Tel Aviv Municipality's request to issue closure orders for supermarkets and businesses that were open on recent Saturdays.
On Tuesday, the municipality submitted its request to the Tel Aviv Local Court, arguing that those businesses are violating the municipal bylaw prohibiting the opening of stores on Shabbat.
But the judge decided that since the request was only submitted on Tuesday, it is not possible to issue closure orders for businesses within days. "The summonses were sent on Tuesday. I am not taking this lightly, so don't think that the closure orders will be issued on Thursday," said Barkai.
In light of this, the judge postponed the hearing on the request until early November, following Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar's decision on whether to approve or reject the amended municipal bylaw approved by the Tel Aviv City Council earlier this week, according to which the opening of 165 supermarkets will be permitted.
The container owners' headquarters attacked the Tel Aviv municipality, which submitted the request late, and claimed that it was merely a "publicity exercise." According to them, "in everything related to enforcing labor and rest laws, the Tel Aviv municipality chose to act only for the profits of the tycoons and large corporations.""
The headquarters added: "In light of the municipality's helplessness, starting tomorrow, small business owners and container owners will replace the municipality's inspectors on the streets to enforce work and rest laws and to ensure that court decisions are indeed implemented in the first Hebrew city.".
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