Leaders of the chareidi factions in Knesset, Ministers Aryeh Deri and Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafne, met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday 26 Menachem Av to discuss the continued chilul Shabbos by Israel Railways.

The chareidim prior to the meeting released messages to the media to lower the tone, claiming they are not initiating a coalition crisis over the matter, but insist the chilul Shabbos by the railway cannot be permitted to continue.

The religious state quo was discussed, with the representatives reminding Mr. Netanyahu he is committed to maintaining the religious status quo under the coalition agreements. They pointed an accusing finger at Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, rejecting his attempt to authorize the chilul Shabbos as being pikuach nefesh, stating clearly this is not so.

They told Mr. Netanyahu they hold the director-general of the railway response, demanding his resignation but they learned they were too late as he already announced he plans to step down next month. However, this seems to have satisfied their need to find a guilty party and there is no coalition crisis over the matter amid assurances from the Prime Minister that he does not have any intentions of changing the religious status quo which his coalition is committed to. “Shmiras Shabbos is important to me too and I an unwilling to have them say I am responsible for compromising Shabbos”.

They decision was made to establish yet another committee to address Shmiras Shabbos issues. Members of this committee will include the directors-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Transportation, and the Ministry of the Economy as well as chareidi faction representatives, a representative of the Education Minister, and a representative of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)