Supreme Court declines to intervene in Sharon authorities’ petitions against metro route

The Supreme Court has consolidated petitions filed by the authorities of Hod HaSharon, Kfar Saba, and South Sharon against the metro plan, clarifying that it does not intend to intervene in the matter and that the parties should reach a solution themselves.

In June of last year, the Hod HaSharon municipality petitioned the Supreme Court against the metro route and station locations, arguing that the current plan provides no benefit to the city and that the line should be diverted toward more densely populated areas and industrial zones, away from private residential neighborhoods.

Supreme Court justices David Mintz, Khaled Kabub, and Yael Vilner, who heard the Hod HaSharon petition alongside additional filings from Kfar Saba and South Sharon regarding the location of the metro’s depot complex, decided to consolidate the cases. The justices ruled that they have no intention of intervening in the planning process, calling on the authorities to find a solution with the relevant stakeholders.

While the Supreme Court is expected to issue a formal ruling in the coming days, the justices have already made it clear that they do not intend to alter the project.

During the hearing, Hod HaSharon Mayor Amir Kohavi stated:

“Hod HaSharon is the only local authority along the metro route where the three guiding planning principles are not met: serving densely built-up areas, providing access to employment hubs, and ensuring connectivity with other mass transit modes. This is neither logical nor reasonable. The city is expected to grow from 70,000 residents today to 150,000 or more. If this route is approved, we will be unable to accommodate new residents without becoming a city entirely dependent on the state. For eight years, we have tried to convey this to all political and professional factors. The district committee accepted our position, but the process stalled there, which is why we turned to the court.”

Attorney Erez Kaminits of the EBN law firm, representing the Hod HaSharon municipality, noted that the chosen route bypasses approximately one million square meters of employment space and roughly 9,000 planned housing units, all to save three minutes of travel time. Following the justices' indication that they would not delve into the planning details, Kohavi added: “Regardless of the court’s decision, the Hod HaSharon municipality will continue to work with professional teams and political echelons to find a way to improve the metro route.”