Amid row over Shabbat work, finance panel delays train funding

In a purported case of revenge for infrastructure work carried out on Shabbat, the ultra-Orthodox-led Knesset Finance Committee on Sunday dropped an anticipated vote on a Transportation Ministry request for NIS 600 million for the country’s railways.

The committee, headed by MK Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism, was to have debated the budget, but in a surprise move it was taken off the agenda and not discussed at all, Channel 2 News reported.

The money was earmarked for the construction of the high-speed train between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, further development of the Jezreel Valley railway line in the north and payments for contractors. Stalling the budget approval could lead to the projects being delayed and the unpaid contractors may sue the government.

Sources within the Transportation Ministry claimed that the decision was “revenge” for the construction work carried out on the railways on Shabbat. They claimed that Gafni intentionally stalled the discussions so that the budget for the trains would be delayed.

UTJ, along with the fellow ultra-Orthodox Shas party, are vehemently opposed to work on the Sabbath.

Gafni rejected the allegations of revenge. “I am not obligated to discuss everything on the day’s agenda,” he told Channel 2. “I will consider it and if appropriate, the money will be transferred.”

Pushing off the work scheduled for Shabbat on the September 2 weekend caused massive traffic delays on the following Sunday, as the repair work was bumped to the workday, forcing some 150,000 Israelis to find alternate transportation for their morning commutes.

A High Court of Justice petition later ruled that the work lies under the purview of Labor Minister Haim Katz. Katz promised to allow only repairs deemed critical to safety to take place on Shabbat, but would push non-essential repairs to weekdays.