Israel will set its clocks back on Saturday night, ending Daylight Savings Time for 2011. At 2 a.m., the time will switch back to 1 a.m., giving many an extra hour of sleep.
The transition to and from summer time in Israel is governed by a compromise reached between secular and religious political parties. While summer time begins according to the Gregorian calendar, it ends according to the Hebrew calendar, on the Saturday night before Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
In 2010, when Yom Kippur fell out relatively early in relation to the secular calendar, there were protests against resuming winter time “early.” Approximately 300,000 Israelis signed a petition calling to extend summer time until the end of October.
Minister of the Interior Eli Yishai (Shas) responded by establishing a committee to study the effectiveness of Daylight Savings in Israel, and to make recommendations regarding the transition to and from summer time. The committee recommended making summer time last for a predetermined number of months, so that its length would not change each year due to discrepancies between the Gregorian calendar and Jewish calendar.
The suggestion has yet to be implemented, and for now, the transition will continue according to the long-term arrangement.