Speaking to Razi Barkai of Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) on Sunday morning 8 Kislev, MK Yisrael Eichler had only words of praise for the decision of Yaakov Litzman to resign from the cabinet over Chilul Shabbos.

Eicher turns it around, rejecting allegations that the chareidim are responsible for the current coalition crisis. He explains that Israel Railways in insistent, absolutely refusing to carry out maintenance at any other time, but only on Shabbos and there is a not the slightest measure of Pikuach Nefesh involved to justify the Chilul Shabbos. Eichler questions why the work cannot be carried out on nights, citing there is no justification to do so on Shabbos, praising Litzman’s decision to break from the cabinet out of respect for Kedushas Shabbos.

He adds that doing the work during the week would indeed result in traffic snarls and delays, but this would not justify carrying out the work on Shabbos as is the case today since it lacks the element of Pikuach Nefesh, which is the only heter for doing the work on Shabbos.

Eicher expresses his hope that Minister of Labor Chaim Katz and Israel Railways officials “Will return to their senses” rather than to continue being Mechalel Shabbos, which might lead to the collapse of the coalition government.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)