A day after city inspectors issued summonses to stores operating on Shabbos against the law, vandals hurled rocks into the city’s collection unit. Mayor Yechiel Lasri responded, “Incitement leads to violence, unfortunately we opened the morning in the city of Ashdod with these pictures of vandalism, and that’s very sad.”

Lasri repeated what was stated on the previous Shabbos, that he was close to reaching an outline on the Shabbos issue. “The outline regarding Shabbos is crystallizing,” adding it takes time and patience, citing “I promised to deliver, and I will”.

The mayor added, “There are still a few more challenges to pass, because of the court ruling that forced Ashdod to act,” he said. “The warnings and fines given on Shabbos in some businesses (beyond the fact that this enforcement is not new) are a necessary stage in the plan that is being consolidated in Ashdod, mainly because of the need to stand trial at the end of the day.

He added, “I will not be dragged into populism and incitement that harms Ashdod’s image, and unfortunately, as you can see, has already led to acts and to vandalism”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)