Ayelet Shaked and Shuli Mualem
Ayelet Shaked and Shuli MualemFlash 90

The Supreme Court rejected today a petition by the left-wing organizations Adalah, Kav LaOved, and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel to cancel the Jordan Valley Regulation. Adalah is openly anti-Zionist.

The regulation, initiated by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked at the suggestion of MK Shuli Moalem (Habayit Hayehudi), is meant to prevent the harassment of farmers in the Jordan Valley by Palestinian Arabs.

In the past, Arab workers have brought false lawsuits against Jewish farmers knowing that even if they lose, the farmers will be forced to pay legal fees.

The regulation, approved by the Supreme Court, stipulates that any worker from territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority must put up a deposit as a financial guarantee before being allowed to bring a lawsuit against Israeli employers.

This way the legal expenses for the farmers will be covered if the lawsuit is dismissed.

The three leftist organizations behind the petition to annul the regulation stated that "the regulation against which we are petitioning constitutes a discriminatory, dangerous and arrogant rule which has resulted from pressure by employers who wish to continue to violate – unhindered – the rights of their weak employees."

MK Moalem said that “farm owners are being swamped by frivolous claims and must cope with a methodical effort to impoverish them and destroy Jewish agriculture in the Jordan Valley.”

"A significant portion of the claims against the farmers come from PA residents who never even worked for that farmer."