Outgoing Interior Minister Gideon Saar announced Wednesday morning that his successor will make the final decision on the issue of opening supermarkets in Tel Aviv on the Sabbath.
In June the Likud politician rejected the municipality’s plan to legalize the opening of market stores on the Sabbath. The municipality responded that it would appeal to the High Court of Justice, but eventually, with the approval of the Tel Aviv City Council, decided to submit an alternative bylaw to the Ministry of Interior for approval, in mid-August .
Saar was to be responsible for accepting or rejecting this bylaw, but due to his “time out” from politics, which is to go into effect after the holidays, he has stated that he will pass the decision on to the next interior minister.
In his statement, Saar suggested that it was inappropriate for him to get involved in such a fundamental issue, just as he was preparing to leave his post. He explained that “In order to determine whether the bylaw is appropriate, it is difficult to avoid deliberating on a fundamental question which touches the deepest root in Israeli society.”
He argued that the municipal law was part of a larger fight for Jewish identity in Israel. “How do we – as the Israeli people – want the Israeli street to look on the weekly day of rest, on Shabbat? Do we want the Shabbat to be identical or even similar to a weekday?”
Saar stressed “Part of the role of the leadership is to maintain the core values of the state as a Jewish and democratic state and to balance between the various interests of all sections of the public.”
The retiring minister warned that the Shabbat issue should be debated thoroughly before a final decision. “The leadership is being asked to seriously consider the consequences of the legislation; legislation like this may have consequence for the country’s core values and for future generations.”
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