The National Union-National Religious and United Torah Judaism parties say they will file a no-confidence motion against the government next week. The reason: the manner in which the government and Israel Railways are attempting to deal with street-tracks intersections.
This past summer saw a rash of fatal accidents or near-accidents between trains and vehicles. On June 12, at the Beit Yehoshua railway crossing near Netanya, a train struck a private vehicle, leaving five dead and more than 80 injured. A few days later, a school bus filled with children became stuck on the tracks; the driver was able to extricate his passengers, and then the bus itself, just before a train came hurtling by.
Three weeks later, another crash was averted at the last moment when the conductor slammed on the brakes at the sight of a truck on the tracks. The truck reportedly tried to cross even though the barriers were down. During the five-day period preceding that incident, the police had given out no fewer than 169 tickets to drivers who did not stop at train tracks when the light was red.
In yet another incident six months earlier, all ten passengers of a van jumped out safely just seconds before their vehicle was broadsided.
The Transportation Ministry therefore decided to build overpasses at the problematic road-track intersections. However, the NU-NRP faction says, the solution not only involves massive Sabbath desecration, but also does not efficiently and safely solve the problem.
Most, if not all, of the work takes place on the Sabbath, because the nearly 24-hour-a-day train service ceases only then. The NU-NRP announcement states,
"Israel Railways claims it received dispensation from rabbis to have non-Jews carry out the work on the Sabbath, but it refuses to reveal who these rabbis are. In addition, it turns out that in addition to the non-Jews, hundreds of Jews are also involved in the work, as well as engineers and supervisors on behalf of the government and Israel Railways who come each week to measure and supervise, leading to massive Sabbath desecration each and every week."
In addition, the official tender issued for the work specifically states, "In order to guarantee uninterrupted train traffic, the contractor must work at night, on Sabbath and Jewish holidays, or in short and defined time periods."
This, claims the NU-NRP faction, is a clear violation of the right to equal opportunity for religiously-observant contractors, who cannot work on the Sabbath.
Yet a third issue is that the chosen method of work is outdated and unsafe, the NU-NRP faction says. Representatives of Israel Railways and the Department of Public Works visited various countries to observe a new widely-used modular method utilizing pre-fab concrete blocks and beams. "Though they returned with warm recommendations for the time-saving method," the MKs say, "which could be easily implemented on Friday afternoons before the onset of the Sabbath, for some reason the new method is not being implemented. Instead, a method that increases the length of the works is being used.:
To protest the Sabbath desecration, discrimination and inefficient work-methods, the two parties plan to file a no-confidence motion in the Knesset this Monday.
Arutz-7 contacted Maly Cohen, spokesperson for Israel Railways, for her response. She sent a report of a meeting this week between Israel Railways Director Ofer Linchevsky and Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai, the head of the Sephardic hareidi-religious Shas party. Linchevsky said that efforts are being made to reduce Sabbath work to a minimum, and that all work is done only with the permission of the Industry and Trade Ministry, in accordance with the law. It was agreed that the ministry and Israel Railways would establish a joint task force to formulate a plan to reduce Sabbath work by Jews.
This past summer saw a rash of fatal accidents or near-accidents between trains and vehicles. On June 12, at the Beit Yehoshua railway crossing near Netanya, a train struck a private vehicle, leaving five dead and more than 80 injured. A few days later, a school bus filled with children became stuck on the tracks; the driver was able to extricate his passengers, and then the bus itself, just before a train came hurtling by.
Three weeks later, another crash was averted at the last moment when the conductor slammed on the brakes at the sight of a truck on the tracks. The truck reportedly tried to cross even though the barriers were down. During the five-day period preceding that incident, the police had given out no fewer than 169 tickets to drivers who did not stop at train tracks when the light was red.
In yet another incident six months earlier, all ten passengers of a van jumped out safely just seconds before their vehicle was broadsided.
The Transportation Ministry therefore decided to build overpasses at the problematic road-track intersections. However, the NU-NRP faction says, the solution not only involves massive Sabbath desecration, but also does not efficiently and safely solve the problem.
Most, if not all, of the work takes place on the Sabbath, because the nearly 24-hour-a-day train service ceases only then. The NU-NRP announcement states,
"Israel Railways claims it received dispensation from rabbis to have non-Jews carry out the work on the Sabbath, but it refuses to reveal who these rabbis are. In addition, it turns out that in addition to the non-Jews, hundreds of Jews are also involved in the work, as well as engineers and supervisors on behalf of the government and Israel Railways who come each week to measure and supervise, leading to massive Sabbath desecration each and every week."
In addition, the official tender issued for the work specifically states, "In order to guarantee uninterrupted train traffic, the contractor must work at night, on Sabbath and Jewish holidays, or in short and defined time periods."
This, claims the NU-NRP faction, is a clear violation of the right to equal opportunity for religiously-observant contractors, who cannot work on the Sabbath.
Yet a third issue is that the chosen method of work is outdated and unsafe, the NU-NRP faction says. Representatives of Israel Railways and the Department of Public Works visited various countries to observe a new widely-used modular method utilizing pre-fab concrete blocks and beams. "Though they returned with warm recommendations for the time-saving method," the MKs say, "which could be easily implemented on Friday afternoons before the onset of the Sabbath, for some reason the new method is not being implemented. Instead, a method that increases the length of the works is being used.:
To protest the Sabbath desecration, discrimination and inefficient work-methods, the two parties plan to file a no-confidence motion in the Knesset this Monday.
Arutz-7 contacted Maly Cohen, spokesperson for Israel Railways, for her response. She sent a report of a meeting this week between Israel Railways Director Ofer Linchevsky and Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai, the head of the Sephardic hareidi-religious Shas party. Linchevsky said that efforts are being made to reduce Sabbath work to a minimum, and that all work is done only with the permission of the Industry and Trade Ministry, in accordance with the law. It was agreed that the ministry and Israel Railways would establish a joint task force to formulate a plan to reduce Sabbath work by Jews.