The Shabbat struggle at the Sportek complex in Ra'anana: the petitioners in the case of the Sportek restaurant have today withdrawn their petition after attempts at compromise with the municipality failed.
The root of the dispute lies in a new tender published by the Ra'anana municipality for the operation of the Sasha restaurant in the Sportek complex, which required the contractor, contrary to previous tenders, to operate the restaurant on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
In response, several residents, both religious and secular, petitioned the court demanding the annulment of the tender.
While in the first hearing, the judge leaned towards the petitioners' position, in the second hearing held about a month ago, a turning point occurred, and the judge recommended that the petitioners withdraw their lawsuit.
As a result, today, attorney Uri Israel Paz, representing the petitioners, submitted an official notice regarding the withdrawal of the petition.
"In light of the honorable judge's recommendation to withdraw the petition, we approached with a positive attitude towards finding a solution that does not impose anything on anyone," attorney Paz wrote in a notice to the court.
"We proposed a creative solution that, if it does not satisfy all our desires, at least fulfills a small part of our wishes. The fact that at the end of the second hearing, unlike the judge's position in the first hearing, the honorable judge suggested withdrawing the petition - hardened the position of the opposing side, which did not agree to hold a brief reminder discussion on the creative solution."
One of the petitioners explained their position: "We are not in favor of coercion, neither religious nor secular. We support freedom of choice. If the contractor chooses to open on Shabbat, that's their choice, but if they choose to close on Shabbat and the municipality forces them to open - then that is coercion."