MK Yisrael Eichler explains that while there was an outrage over Chilul Shabbos by Israel Railways, the fact of the matter is there are businesses opening on Shabbos along with factories and stores and people are being compelled to work on Shabbos in violation of the Day of Rest Law.

Eichler, in his capacity as a member of the Knesset Ombudsman Committee explains the data shown to him (see attached photo) clearly shows how many cases have been opened for businesses operating illegally on Shabbos and how many with permits are violating the terms of the Shabbos operating permits.

The second chart clearly shows that while in past years fines were levied and criminal indictments filed for chilul Shabbos, there is a steady decline in these areas with each passing year.

Eichler explains that the facts speak for themselves and while there are more businesses operating on Shabbos, there are fewer fines and less enforcement.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)