In light of Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz’s decision to stop Chilul Shabbos on the Yehudit Bridge project in Tel Aviv, Meretz is taking the matter to the High Court of Justice, hoping to have Katz’s decision overturned.

Meretz Chairwoman MK Tamar Zandberg announced she plans to challenge his decision in the High Court. When she heard of Katz’s decision regarding the pedestrian bridge, she commented, “in a democratic-liberal state in 2018, infrastructure work should be conducted according to needs and in a manner that is least harmful to civilians, and not to the dark whims of politicians who serve rabbis, not the public. The work is needed as public transportation is needed on Shabbos.”

The chareidi parties however applauded the decision, as Katz said it was ridiculous to imply the work can only be carried out on Shabbos when many other construction projects are carried out on weekdays and during the nights, without the need to work on Shabbos.

The pedestrian bridge will also serve bicyclists, connecting between Yigal Alon Street and the neighborhood of Bitzran, east of the Ayalon, and Montefiore neighborhood west of the Ayalon.

The chareidi parties raised the issue, waving a red flag, demanding the work be halted as “Shabbos has become the national work day” as they put it.

MK (Bayit Yehudi) Betzalel Smotrich also supported Katz’s decision. “I congratulate the Minister of Transportation on his directive to cancel the work in Tel Aviv on Shabbos, a correct and required decision to maintain the Jewish character of the State of Israel,” he stated. “It is possible and necessary to build and develop, but without turning a blind eye to the basic values of the state.”

Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said that “[Katz] has shown public responsibility and prevented unnecessary harm to the status quo and the Jewish tradition. Throughout the ages, observance of Shabbos has been a supreme value in the day of national rest. The cancellation of the work on Shabbos at the Yehudit Bridge is a welcome moral step that expresses proper judgment, rather than provocation and harm to the religious and traditional population, which are the majority of the Israeli public.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)