Litzman calls off threat to quit over Shabbat train work after deal reached

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on Friday called off his threat to quit the government if construction work on intercity train routes took place on the Jewish Sabbath this weekend, after reaching a compromise deal with the Labor Ministry over the issue.

According to a statement from Litzman’s office, repair work on the train line between the Negev cities of Dimona and Beersheba would proceed this Saturday on a one-time basis, and with only non-Jewish workers.

Litzman, a member of Netanyahu’s coalition from the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, added that if the government violated the compromise in the future, he would follow through with his threat to quit.

Hours earlier, Litzman told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz that infrastructure works on the rail lines “violated the sanctity of Shabbat,” and was contrary to the “status quo” of not conducting government work on the Jewish day of rest.

Litzman warned Netanyahu that his resignation would mean that he would not vote in ministerial committee votes scheduled for Sunday.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Litzman had threatened to quit his position, or pull his entire party out of the coalition, a move that would imperil Netanyahu’s government.

His announcement sparked immediate criticism from opposition lawmaker Ksenia Svetlova, who charged the ultra-Orthodox parties were selective in their outrage over social issues.

“Somehow these ministers never threaten to dismantle the coalition over poor government pensions, the housing crisis or public health care,” she tweeted. “It’s strange.”

In recent years, Israel Railways has undertaken a number of major projects, including a new high-speed Tel Aviv-Jerusalem line and major upgrades to existing lines.

Officials say construction and maintenance work over the weekend helps avoid delays to the busy weekday schedule.

But the Shabbat work on the rail infrastructure has sparked a series of rows between Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties in his coalition, despite the prime minister agreeing to ban all weekend construction projects on train lines in a deal struck with the parties prior to the 2015 election.

Last year, ultra-Orthodox politicians threatened to topple the coalition if Shabbat work continued on the rail lines, causing an uproar among commuters suffering from massive traffic delays and cancellations after Netanyahu succumbed to the pressure and ordered the work stopped.

In June, ministers ceded to sustained pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism and canceled weekend work on train lines in southern Israel.

Netanyahu, Katz, Social Affairs and Social Services Minister Haim Katz and the heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties at the time agreed to call off the scheduled work in favor of maintaining the “status quo” of not working on Shabbat.