Bnei Brak
Bnei BrakS. Cohen, Arutz Sheva

The Bnei Brak municipality on Monday will demand a restraining order enforcing an agreement made between the municipality and the Israeli government not to allow construction on the light rail during Shabbat (Sabbath) and holidays.

According to Channel 10, the decision to turn to the courts was made because the company which undertook construction of Tel Aviv's light rail train is expected to violate the agreement regarding construction work on Shabbat. These agreements, signed with Bnei Brak's mayor, forbid digging and other work on the tracks both on Shabbat and on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).

Bnei Brak Mayor Hanoch Zeibert said that Section 13 of the agreement stipulated that the Israeli government would not allow light rail construction in Bnei Brak during Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The government signatory for this agreement is Gil Shabtai, who serves as the Deputy Accountant General.

"No one in the Bnei Brak municipality ever thought that a government company would aid a violation of written, signed agreements forbidding construction work from taking place on Shabbat," Zeibert said. "The municipality....will do everything possible to prevent issues this severe from occurring."

Zeibert also emphasized that he is pained by the fact that in nearby cities, a company hired by the government works on Shabbat and holidays, which he said are "the central foundation of the Jewish people."