BICOM

Israel’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday to enforce laws over trading on the Jewish Sabbath while two competing Knesset bills were introduced aimed at more clearly defining Israel’s identity as both a Jewish and democratic state.

The Supreme Court judgment, which is headline news in most Israeli dailies this morning, rules that the Tel Aviv Municipality must adhere more firmly to its own by-laws and impose stronger penalties on businesses which trade on the Jewish Sabbath. The petitioners, secular small-shop owners, emphasised that their grievance was not based on religious concerns, but out of fear that by taking a day’s rest they would lose business to supermarkets which do open on the Sabbath. The court clarified in its ruling that it was not making a judgment over the place of religion in Israel, merely upholding existing laws.

However, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely was one of several parliamentarians to hail the ruling as a victory for Jewish religious values, saying “it’s impossible to have a situation in which the free market tramples the livelihood of those who observe the Sabbath.” Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz, who is running for Tel Aviv Mayor backed the ruling but said that he would seek to change the law if elected to city hall.

Meanwhile, in the Knesset, coalition partners submitted two separate bills, which both look to anchor in legislation the definition of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Yariv Levin of Likud Beitenu and Ayelet Shaked of Jewish Home proposed that Israel be confirmed as the national home of the Jewish people while underscoring the importance of democratic government and upholding the rights of all citizens. Meanwhile, Yesh Atid MK Ruth Calderon declined to co-sponsor the bill and in the end submitted her own version which would codify similar sentiments specifically through adopting Israel’s Declaration of Independence as Basic Laws.