Ultra-Orthodox parties again threaten to topple coalition over Shabbat train work

Ultra-Orthodox parties are again threatening to leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition if construction work on train lines would take place on the Jewish Sabbath.

According to reports in Hebrew-language media, party representatives say the governing coalition “will not survive the desecration of Shabbat.”

Last week, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman from the United Torah Judaism party threatened to resign if infrastructure work on the train lines would take place that weekend. He called off the threat several hours later after reaching a one-time compromise with the Labor Ministry.

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.