Israeli parties play to voters in fight over Sabbath
Disagreements within the ruling coalition over a bill mandating the closure of supermarkets on the Sabbath are just the first gentle digs in the coming electoral war.
Two senior Israeli politicians — Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri — have been conducting a polite Twitter duel over proposed legislation to close down supermarkets on the Sabbath. Some towns are rushing to adopt bylaws contravening the bill before the Knesset adopts it.
Liberman, chair of the right-wing but largely secular Yisrael Beitenu party, wrote, “Givatayim, Rishon Lezion, Herzliya, Holon, Ramat Gan and other towns are absolutely right. Activity in the public domain on Shabbat is solely a matter for local government. Yisrael Beitenu stands firmly behind the chairman of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel, Haim Bibas. Yes to tradition. Yes to Jewish values. No to religious coercion.”
