Aryeh Deri, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef
Aryeh Deri, Rabbi Ovadia YosefYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri invoked the controversial 'Supermarket Bill" in order to outlaw Shabbat commerce in a slew of cities across Israel.

The Knesset had passed the "Supermarket Bill” in January, which grants the Interior Minister the powers to disqualify municipal bylaws promoted by the local authorities, effectively enabling the minister to shut down supermarkets that had been operating on the Sabbath with permission from the local authority.

Before the law officially passed in the Knesset, the cities of Modiin, Givatayim, Herzliya, Holon, and Rishon LeZion had rushed to pass bylaws permitting Shabbat commerce in order to preempt the legislation, However, Deri ordered the cities to cease allowing business to operate on the Jewish day of rest after receiving a legal opinion determining that it was illegal.

In response, Modiin Mayor Haim Bibas decried the move as "small politics" and alleged that Deri was motivated by the lagging electoral fortunes of his Shas party.

"Someone whispered to him that it would be a good idea to ignite his election campaign so that he could pick up a few votes," said Bibas. "If he wants to go to war, then we will go to war. No one will drag us into the Middle Ages."

Deri's decision to nix Shabbat commerce marks a change in policy, as he had consistently denied that he would enforce the legislation after it passed in January. "I cannot and do not intend to enforce this law. Every citizen or resident should deal with this law in his city. If none of the residents of Givatayim are bothered about the supermarkets, then fine. I don’t intend to interfere," Deri had said.

"The interior minister has no powers of enforcement. I cannot close down shops on Shabbat,” continued Deri, and denied that the Supermarket Law amounted to religious coercion.