Attorney Eran Ben Ari, legal advisor to the Im Tirtzu movement and a member of the Israel Bar Association’s national council, along with Attorneys Assaf Tchelet and Eitan Marnes, has filed an urgent petition with the Jerusalem District Court.
The petition challenges the Bar Association’s decision to allow employees to skip work this coming Sunday—without deducting a vacation day—as part of a planned strike. The petitioners argue that the move is illegal and exceeds the Association’s authority.
They claim the decision was made hastily and without proper discussion in the Bar’s authorized bodies. According to the petition, it amounts to a "blatant misuse of public funds" to support a political agenda unrelated to the Bar’s official functions.
The attorneys further allege that the policy attempts to sidestep legal guidelines and undermines equality among Bar members. They argue that encouraging staff to take paid leave under these circumstances effectively promotes a strike and may even influence other institutions to follow suit—calling it a "cunning pretense" for a political protest.
Despite their opposition to the policy, the petitioners emphasized their shared hope for the swift release of all hostages. They clarified that while they support the right to protest, they object to what they describe as the Bar Association’s politicized stance in this context.