Israel’s Interior Ministry has formally instructed the city of Ramat HaSharon to enforce its municipal bylaw prohibiting businesses from operating on Shabbos, escalating an ongoing dispute over the continued weekend activity at the Big Glilot commercial complex.

The ministry’s intervention comes amid growing controversy surrounding the shopping and entertainment center, which has remained open on Shabbos despite local regulations that prohibit such activity.

The current dispute stems from a petition filed approximately a year ago against the municipality. Petitioners argued that the city had failed to enforce its own bylaws and pointed to statements by Mayor Yitzchak Rochberger suggesting that he intended to allow businesses at the complex to continue operating on Shabbos without imposing penalties or taking enforcement action.

At the same time, the Interior Ministry is reviewing a request submitted by the municipality to amend the existing bylaw. As part of that process, ministry officials have demanded extensive clarification regarding the scope of the proposed changes, including which businesses would be exempted, what services would be permitted, the data used to formulate the proposal, and the preparatory work conducted before advancing the amendment.

In a strongly worded letter, Interior Ministry Director-General Yisrael Ozen sharply criticized the argument that the law should simply be adjusted to reflect the reality that has developed on the ground.

“If the purpose of the amendment is to align the legal situation with the reality currently being practiced, it follows that the actual situation—created through violations of the law—has dictated and shaped the content of the proposed arrangement,” Ozen wrote.

He added that, “There is no place to agree to or accept an improper situation in which a sinner profits from his wrongdoing.”

According to Ozen, the materials submitted thus far by the municipality fail to adequately address a number of key concerns raised by the ministry. He instructed city officials to provide updated data, broader professional analysis, and detailed responses to each of the issues under review.

The letter concludes with a clear warning that any proposed amendment remains legally ineffective unless and until it receives formal approval from the Interior Minister.

“Furthermore, as long as the bylaw has not been approved by the Minister of the Interior, it is not in force and action may not be taken pursuant to it,” Ozen wrote.

The directive means that the battle over Shabbos operations at Big Glilot remains far from resolved. While municipal officials are seeking to create a new legal framework that would permit the current reality to continue, the Interior Ministry is insisting that the existing law remains binding and must be fully enforced. For now, the dispute appears headed for further legal and political confrontation.

{Matzav.com}