Interior Ministry Demands Enforcement Against Saturday Trading at Big Fashion Glilot

The battle over whether Big Fashion Glilot may open on Saturdays has escalated again. On Thursday, the director-general of Israel’s Interior Ministry, Israel Uzan, sent a letter to the mayor of Ramat Hasharon demanding enforcement of the existing law and a ban on businesses opening on Shabbat.

Uzan said the current municipal bylaw remains in force, and until the Interior Minister approves any change, the city is obligated to enforce the prohibition on Saturday commerce. He sharply criticized the municipality’s argument that the law should be amended because Saturday opening is already the prevailing practice.

In the letter, Uzun wrote that if the goal of the proposed amendment is to align the legal situation with the “existing reality,” that would mean the current situation, which stems from violating the law, has effectively shaped the proposed arrangement. He added, “There is no place to agree to and accept a distorted situation in which the sinner will be rewarded.”

Uzan also said the city’s response did not adequately answer the ministry’s questions. If Ramat Hasharon wants to move forward with reviewing the bylaw, he said, it must submit updated data, a full internal policy review, and a detailed response to all issues raised by the ministry. He concluded that until the bylaw is approved by the Interior Minister, it has no force and cannot be relied on.

The dispute over Saturday opening began before the mall even opened, with ultra-Orthodox leaders describing the move as a public desecration of Shabbat.