The Shabbos Law/Makolet Law passed in Knesset this week, granting authority to the Interior Minister to shut stores operating on Shabbos with a city/local permit.

Herzliya Mayor Moshe Fadlon is an outspoken opponent of the new law, and is threatening to challenge it in the High Court of Justice if he is not permitted to amend city regulations to permit stores to operate on Shabbos as he plans to do. On the other side of the spectrum, the religious representative in the city council, the chairman of the Gesher party which represents Degel Hatorah, Elad Tzadikov, is also threatening to go to the High Court if the city does not back down and simply abide by the law rather than trying to challenge it.

Fadlon was seen in Knesset quite a bit last week, working hard lobbying against the law but at the end, it passed, albeit by one vote. The mayor maintains that religious and non-religious residents of the city have been living side-by-side for 30 years, harmoniously, and this new law is unwanted by all, and unnecessary since he has been monitoring the religious status quo in the city.

This coming Sunday,27 Teves, the city council plans to pass the amended law to permit stores to operate on Shabbos. Fadlon explains if Interior Minister Aryeh Deri will not sign off on it as required, the next step is the High Court of Justice.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)