Bypass Supreme Court: supermarkets in Tel Aviv will not be closed this Shabbos

The Supreme Court gave the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality 60 days to settle the status of town supermarkets which are open on Saturdays. The 60 days are to be completed on Friday, and since the municipal bylaw has not yet been amended, according to the ruling – the am-pm and Tiv Taam networks - will be required to shut down on Shabbos.

But this morning (Monday), Army Radio reveals that the municipality has found a way to bypass the ruling. According to Army Radio report, the municipality intends to send a letter to the court which argued that the City Council has been dissolved, towards the elections, so there is no one who can amend the municipal bylaw. According to the municipality, the issue will have to wait until after the election.

City officials are enraged at the municipality and claim that it intends to delay the treatment until after the elections, when it will be conducted by political power relations created then. "We demand an answer from the mayor right now," they said.

Deputy mayor and chairman of 'Rov Ha'ir' faction, Assaf Zamir, told Army Radio: "Following the decision of the court, from that moment we announced formally that the municipality will stop enforcing against businesses which are open on Saturday in the format which was until today, and we will continue not to enforce until a decision otherwise. The businesses which were open until now on Saturdays in the city center will remain open for now."

Tel Aviv Municipality said in response to Army Radio that the Attorney is formulating its answer and when it will be given in court it will be published. However, they already say that the answer would be in the spirit of the Mayor Ron Huldai that Tel Aviv remain a free city.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!