The Jerusalem City Council approved on Thursday the application of the Shapir company to operate movie theaters in the National Parking Lot, which it will establish next to Binyanei Haumah (the National Auditorium), near the entrance to the city. Permission was granted after the council accepted a condition by Deputy Mayor David Hadari that the theaters do not operate on Shabbat.
The condition opened a stormy debate including threats of breaking up the city's ruling coalition, but in the end, there were only three votes against the condition, with two abstentions. The movie theaters are part of an entertainment complex being allowed in the parking lot to make it profitable in light of low anticipated use (500 of the 1,800 planned spaces).