The Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday seeking to launch disciplinary proceedings against Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu for what they described as "repeated racist incitement."

The State Prosecutor's Office replied to the request, stating that the proceedings against Eliyahu had been delayed because of a criminal investigation on the same charges, which was subsequently closed in 2012 over difficulty in proving the allegations.

Several years ago, Eliyahu, together with 50 other rabbis, signed off on a ruling forbidding Jews from selling or renting homes to non-Jews. In addition, Eliyahu was quoted as saying that "the moment you make room for an Arab among us, it takes him five minutes to begin doing what he wants," and that "expelling Arabs from Jewish neighborhoods is part of our strategy."

In his petition to the Justice Ministry, attorney Avner Pinchuk of ACRI stressed that "even if Rabbi Eliyahu's racist, defamatory remarks don't qualify as 'incitement to racism' in the legal sense, that still doesn't make him fit to serve in the lofty position of chief rabbi of a city."

"It is unacceptable for a high-ranking state official to use his status and the prestige of his position, granted to him by the state, to disgrace and humiliate human beings, and to trample on their dignity and basic human rights. The state cannot sit idly by while a senior employee in its service violates the law, incites to racism and undermines its fundamental values and basic laws," Pinchuk wrote.

"These things become even more urgent in light of surprising reports suggesting that there are those who are trying to promote Rabbi Eliyahu's candidacy for the position of chief rabbi of Israel. The law authorizing you to take disciplinary measures against a city rabbi is intended to be used precisely in cases like this one before us," he wrote.

In the past, MK Issawi Frej (Meretz) demanded that the attorney-general block Eliyahu's bid for the position of chief rabbi of Israel. According to Frej, Eliyahu is a "backwards racist, inciter and Arab hater. It is unfathomable that a person who urged homeowners not to rent apartments to Arab students in Safed would receive a prize for his racism and be appointed chief rabbi."