The battle over furniture store IKEA's alleged building violates at its newly opened store in Eshtaol near Beit Shemesh is heating up. The Eshtaol Commercial and Industry Park company on whose land the store stands has filed an urgent motion with Judge Alexander Ron of the Jerusalem Administrative Court asking for the cancellation of the temporary injunction issued last week instructed it to seal off one third of the branch at the request of Jerusalem district planner Shira Talmi Babay. At the same time, IKEA has informed Talmi Babay that it is not obeying the order.
Last week Judge Alexander issued the temporary injunction against The Eshtaol Commercial and Industry Park company, controlled by Tzachi Nahmias following a petition by Talmi Babay contesting the Jerusalem District Appeals Committee decision to allow the furniture store to open despite building violations.
Talmi Babay claims that the decisions by the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee and the Jerusalem District Appeals Committee legitimized serious building offenses committed by the land's owners covering thousands of square meters. The petition described these violations as 'unprecedented in their seriousness.' The ruling affects 8,000 square meters of offices, operational and logistics areas but not the 17,000 square meter store itself.
However, IKEA's lawyers Advs. Yair Assael and Dan Lieberman of Ephraim Abramson & Co. Law Offices & Notaries, said that IKEAS has no intention of obeying the order for the simple reason that it was not a party to the hearing. "For some reason IKEA was not attached as a respondent to the petition and request for a temporary injunction, even though it could be effected by the request and any order received. Even the court decision has not been given to our client," the lawyers wrote.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 9, 2020
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