On Motzei Shabbos, UTJ Chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf demanded in a letter to Transport Minister Miri Regev that all buildings on the intercity train system cease on Shabbat.
The letter was written in response to a left-leaning journalist’s publication of a video showing railroad construction this past Shabbos morning with the caption: “Israel Railways – work on Shabbos. An entirely Chareidi right-wing administration.
Hypocrisy for you, then.
Goldknopf became aware of the footage and acted right away. He sent a letter to the heads of the coalition parties, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Economy Minister Nir Barkat, and Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev, in which he wrote to Regev, “It has been brought to my attention that works are being carried out on Shabbos by Israel Railways on the Tel Aviv railway..which does not meet the definition of pikuach nefesh.”
“From what I can see, the accords that previous governments signed led to the creation of these works.
These works would cease, as agreed in the coalition agreements between the Likud and UTJ parties.
Goldknopf said, “We cannot accommodate ourselves to this condition.” “I urgently want your participation in this situation to terminate the aforementioned agreements,” you write.
The Transportation Ministry did not respond formally, but unnamed ministry officials were quoted in Israeli media as claiming that the work on Shabbos cannot and will not be stopped.
In response to the study, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman said: “Once again, Chareidi askanim are telling the entire public what is good and wrong. Stopping train operations on Shabbat is a crazy move that will hurt the economy of Israel and many families who use public transportation in the State of Israel.
The government needs to calm down and put an end to this lunacy.
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