A mass Fajr prayer on the morning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha was held on Wednesday morning in a public area near the Jaffa Port in Tel Aviv.
The prayer was held with full gender separation between men and women in the open space. Footage from the scene sparked questions and unrest among residents and on social media.
In the past, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai stated unequivocally that the local authority would not allow gender-segregated Jewish prayers in the city’s streets. Critics questioned the gap between the enforcement of the policy toward the Jewish public and the current event.
In a previously circulated video presenting his official position, Huldai said, "There were several discussions, and we decided definitively that no event will be held in which there will be gender separation in the public space in the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. We will insist on this and preserve a free Tel Aviv."
Hilltop activist Meir Ettinger, responding to the event, sharply criticized the municipality’s conduct: "As every year, the Tel Aviv Municipality, which opposed approving gender-segregated prayers for Jews, ignores the event led by the Islamic Movement."
