The Sefardic-haredi Shas party on Friday morning turned to Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer, who chairs the Central Elections Committee, to protest the Labor party and its leader Avi Gabbay, who has publicized his intention to run a "special bus that will run as a free 'Shabbat (Sabbath) line' this Saturday. Every Saturday, the bus will run in a different city."
In the petition, the Shas party stated that from a legal perspective, this initiative violates the election laws, since "making the bus available and transporting passengers to and from a place other than the voting polls is a forbidden gift."
"The Shas movement sees this step, taken by the Labor party, as cynical and defiant. It insults many citizens who are interested in retaining the State's Jewish character."
The petition also quoted Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff, wjho said, "It is forbidden to publicly desecrate Shabbat. Every nation has its traditional views, beliefs, and customs - and keeps it. That is the nation's character, and grants it existence. Woe to the individual, and woe to the kibbutz, which separates itself from its nation."
Melcer received Shas' urgent petition and ordered the Labor party to reply by 2:30p.m. on Friday.