After Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri did not come to a conclusion with what to do regarding the request of Iryat Tel Aviv, the Supreme Court has decided to allow the City of Tel Aviv to approve the opening of more kiosks and supermarkets on Shabbos
Deri got the government to transfer the power to decide on this issue back to him, after a previous minister transferred it to a committee due to a supposed conflict of interests. Deri requested more time right before the deadline for his decision, but the courts never agreed and Deri let it slide, supposedly thinking they would approve it at the last minute.
Now Deri, and his peers in the Haredi parties, are upset with the court decision. They are threatening to design and pass laws that will circumvent the Supreme Court decision and ban the commerce on Shabbos.
I don't have a concrete opinion on this Shabbos law - for or against. In general I think religious laws do more harm than good, but I understand the Jewish nature of the State needs to be protected somehow - I just don't know how and am not sure passing secular laws forcing secular people to keep religious laws is the right way to go about it.
Either way, no matter which way I lean on that issue on any particular day, I do not feel bad at all for Deri and his co-parliamentarians. They had the power in their hands, and they let it slip through their grasp. I don't know if he is expressing his anger for show, and he is probably more relieved than angry that he did not have to make a decision, either way, that would surely anger so many people, or if he is sincere in his anger post-facto.
Either way, no matter if he is sincere or not, this is his fault. While I am not sure if he did the right or wrong thing, his tears now are more of the crocodile variety, because if he really cared and opposed it he would have declined the petition when he had the ability to.
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