Left-wing Meretz party activists were caught burning poles that are used for the establishment of the "Eruv" on the Sabbath, according to a Kol Chai radio report quoted by Yeshiva World News. Meretz is generally considered a secular party with anti-religious elements.

The Eruv consists of a series of a poles connect by a wire that establishes legal boundaries in which Jews are allowed to carry objects on the Sabbath. Hillsides also can often be used as part of the Eruv.