Akka Municipality Announces that Notices Threatening to Fine Arab Businesses that Open on Saturdays were a Mistake

24/11/2011

On 6 November 2011, the Municipality of Akka(Acre) announced that the notices sent recently to Arab traders who open their places of business on Saturdays(the Jewish Sabbath)had been sent by mistake. The Akka Municipality noted that it would continue to abide by its agreement made before the Supreme Court in 2009, which would divide the city into zones depending on the composition of the population in each area, and on that basis determine whether or not Arab citizens are allowed to open their shops on Saturday.

On 6 November 2011, the Municipality of Akka (Acre) announced that the notices sent recently to Arab traders who open their places of business on Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath) had been sent by mistake. The Akka Municipality noted that it would continue to abide by its agreement made before the Supreme Court in 2009, which would divide the city into zones depending on the composition of the population in each area, and on that basis determine whether or not Arab citizens are allowed to open their shops on Saturday.

This announcement comes following a letter from Adalah to the Akka Municipality demanding that it stop sending warning notices to Arab traders immediately, as they violated the Supreme Court's rulingto allow them to open their shops in neighborhoods with an Arab majority. Adalah Attorney Sawsan Zaher stressed in the letter that the municipal regulations violated the principle of equality, as well as the constitutional rights of Arab citizens of Israel, including freedom of occupation, freedom of conscience,freedom of religion, and freedom from religion. The regulations forced Arab residents of Akka to close their places of business, restaurants, and places of entertainment on Saturdays.

The notices were issued despite an agreement between Adalah, the petitioners and the Akka Municipality confirmed by the Supreme Court on 22 February 2009. This agreement followed on a petition filed by former Adalah Attorney Adel Badeer in 2007 against the municipality. The municipality committed before the Supreme Court not to fine places of trading that open on Saturdays if they are located in neighborhoods with an Arab majority.

After receiving many complaints from Arab traders in Akka, Attorney Zaher sent a letter on 3 November 2011 to the municipality to demand that it immediately stop sending the warning notices.

The complainants include Mr. Abd al-Hadi Nassar, who owns a shop in a neighborhood called "Giburai Sinai", where Arab citizens constitute an absolute majority. Some Orthodox Jewish families and Russian immigrant families also live in the neighborhood. According to Mr. Abd al-HadiNassar, he has received a number of notices after opening his shop on the Jewish Sabbath, the last of which was sent a few weeks ago. The latest warning stated that there would be no future warnings, and that if he opened his shop on a Saturday again he would receive a fine, in accordance with municipal regulations. He stressed that closing his shop would cause him major financial losses.

The Letter (Hebrew)
The Supreme Court's decision (2009)

For more information on Adalah's petition and the Supreme Court's decision, see:
http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=09_02_25