Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Thursday to promote legislation that would grant Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri (Shas) the authority to enforce the Work and Rest Hours Law, thus allowing him to prevent supermarkets from being open on Shabbat. Netanyahu's statement came during a meeting with ultra-Orthodox leaders Aryeh Deri (Shas), Health Minister Ya'akov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) and MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism).

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At present, there are two laws that prevent the opening of supermarkets on Shabbat: the Work and Rest Hours Law and a municipal by-law that grants municipalities the power to allow supermarkets to remain open on Shabbat.

A Tel Aviv supermarket (Photo: Yaron Brenner)

Last month, the High Court ruled that the Tel Aviv Municipality is allowed to keep 164 supermarkets open on Shabbat. However, during Thursday's meeting, Netanyahu hinted that the government's position may lean in favor of another High Court discussion on the matter.

The Work and Rest Law falls under the authority of the Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry. However, current Minister Haim Katz (Likud) has stated that his official policy is not to enforce it. During Thursday's meeting, Deri requested that he be granted the authority to enforce the Work and Rest instead of Katz.

While Netanyahu did not fully relent, he reportedly promised the government would promote legislation that would grant the interior minister the authority to enact said law, as well. In essence, this would allow Minister Deri to override Minister Katz and force supermarkets to shut down on Shabbat or face fines, even if Minister Katz remains reluctant to enforce it himself.

It was additionally agreed upon that Netanyahu would tell Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit he is expected to represent the government's official position on the matter of supermarkets remaining open on Shabbat before the High Court, something that the trio of Haredi leaders have pushed for in the past. Both Shas and United Torah Judaism have put pressure on Mandelblit so that he would petition the High Court for another, wider panel discussion on the issue, in the hopes that the court would overturn its previous decision, but so far Mandelblit has resisted.

Concurrently, it was reported that the relevant parties would continue work on a bill to safeguard the interior minister's authority when it comes to approving municipal by-laws. If approved, such a law would grant Minister Deri the authority to reject any future municipal by-laws or amendments to existing ones that seek to expand approvals for opening businesses on Shabbat.