Transport minister promises Tel Aviv Light Rail on Shabbat

Michaeli’s plans to operate light rail, set to be launched in November, on national day of rest hit with backlash from religious lawmakers, vowing to upend move
i24NEWS|
Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli on Friday said that she plans to run the Tel Aviv Light Rail on Shabbat starting next year.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • “It is my decision, and I reached it taking into consideration all the important implications [surrounding such as decision] brought before me,” Michaeli told Channel 12.
    2 View gallery
    נסיעת מבחן ברכבת הקלה בתל אביב
    נסיעת מבחן ברכבת הקלה בתל אביב
    The Tel Aviv Light Rail
    (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
    On Shabbat - which starts Friday at sundown and lasts until Saturday at sunset - most of Israel closes, and there is minimal public transportation.
    The Tel Aviv Light Rail's Red Line, set to open in November, travels through Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox suburb in the central region that generally prohibits cars during Shabbat.
    However, these plans could be upended as a result of the general elections, set to take place on November 1. Michaeli's center-left Labor party is part of Prime Minister Yair Lapid's bloc, commonly referred to as the "anti-(Opposition Leader Benjamin) Netanyahu bloc."
    Michaeli's reiteration of her plans to run the light rail on Shabbat stirred outrage among religious politicians, many of whom belong to the Netanyahu bloc.
    2 View gallery
    מרב מיכאלי
    מרב מיכאלי
    Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli
    (Photo: Amit Shabi)
    After Shabbat ended Saturday night, far-right lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich said, “Instead of dealing with the transportation catastrophe that all Israeli citizens suffer from, Merav Michaeli prefers to spread empty slogans.”
    He promised that future right-wing governments "will make sure to cancel any decision that harms the Jewish character of the country, and we will preserve the Sabbath and its sanctity as the national day of rest.”

    Reprinted with permission from i24NEWS.
    Comments
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""