Netanyahu halts Shabbat train work amid political crisis
Israel's prime minister has come under pressure from Haredi politicians over the issue of railway works on Shabbat
Planned repairs to Israel railways on Shabbat were canceled at the last minute, delaying thousands of morning commuters and fueling a political crisis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called off the repair work Israel Railways was slated to do at 20 sites.
Haredi Orthodox political parties had called for the work stoppage and threatened to bolt the ruling coalition if the work was not cancelled, which could have toppled the government.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday morning, Netanyahu said: “This crisis is completely unnecessary. There was no need to reach this situation. There has been a status quo in the State of Israel for many years; we honor it. When work needs to be done on Shabbat – it is done, as it was last Shabbat on the Ayalon highway. When it does not need to be done on Shabbat – it is not done. This has been our guiding principle; this is the principle that will continue to guide us.”
The crisis comes a week after the haredi parties threatened to bolt the government over construction work on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv high-speed train line, deemed essential to be undertaken on Shabbat.
In a statement issued Saturday night, the prime minister blamed Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, a political challenger from within his Likud party, for fomenting the crisis.
“This is an initiated and unnecessary crisis on the part of Minister Yisrael Katz designed to undermine relations between the Prime Minister and the ultra-orthodox public or alternatively to damage the image of the Prime Minister among the general public. From the outset there was no need to initiate work on Shabbat. It would have been possible to carry out the work on other dates that would not have harmed the ultra-orthodox public, passengers or soldiers,” the statement said.
“Yisrael Katz is holding passengers and soldiers as hostages in an unnecessary and artificial crisis that he initiated after having failed in his attempt to take over the Likud institutions. The Prime Minister is outraged over Minister Katz’s cynical attack on passengers and soldiers and is doing his utmost to minimise the damage to these publics in the next 24 hours.”
Having been started Friday afternoon, the repair work resumed Saturday night and extended into the Sunday morning rush hour, causing major traffic jams and stranding commuters who rely on the railway system.
Sunday morning is when most soldiers home for the weekend return to their bases, further crowding public transportation. Buses were used to shuttle soldiers who normally take the trains to their bases. Netanyahu also ordered the Transportation Ministry to put extra buses on the Tel Aviv-Haifa route, which was closed Sunday as infrastructure work continued.
Rumors circulated Saturday night that Netanyahu would fire Katz, though it appeared by Sunday morning that Katz would remain in his position.
Katz reportedly plans to challenge Netanyahu for leadership of the party in the next election cycle more than three years from now, unless the government falls sooner. Katz is head of the party secretariat, in charge of all party operations, and reportedly has attempted to weaken Netanyahu from within the party. (JTA)
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
