Chairman Ilan Gilon of the Meretz Knesset faction has called on the mayor of Givat Shmuel to immediately retract a decision preventing residents of Bnei Brak from entering parks in Givat Shmuel during the three weeks leading up to the ninth of Av on the Jewish calendar, when the haredi-religious public is vacationing.
Gilon said, "This is a clear case of ugly discrimination based on hatred of the other." He also said, "I see with great severity the conduct of the municipality and to the best of my knowledge this is criminal conduct that is contrary to the law, and the fact that the park is located in the municipal jurisdiction of the municipality does not allow it to do so in its own right. This is public property, not private."