Following the statement of Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli (Labor) about the operation of the light rail in Gush Dan on Saturdays, MK Shlomo Karhi (Likud) wrote a sharply worded letter to Attorney General Gila Beharav Miara demanding a stop to all activities during an election period.

"I call on you to immediately stop the brutal, illegal, corrupt, and anti-Jewish step of Minister Merav Michaeli. This lady has no public mandate to trample on the foundations of the Jewish state and the sanctity of the Shabbat," Dr. Karhi wrote.

He added, " "The time has come ... with all due respect, to wake up from the slumber of the "dream government" and function as someone who is supposed to maintain the purity of the elections, fairness, and the rule of law in the state of the Jewish people."

The head of the United Torah Judaism faction, MK Meir Porush, responded to the announcement that the Transportation Minister is promoting public transportation on Shabbat: "Minister Michaeli is giving us a preview of what will happen if a left-wing government comes to power. We will do everything we can to ensure that haredi representation will be large, strong, and influential in the right-wing bloc in order to protect the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel, and the Land of Israel."

He also added, "When the minister's only achievement in transportation is to change the temperature in trains, it is not surprising that she chooses to ignore the tragic disasters that happened over the last month on the roads and tries to direct attention in other directions."

Agudat Yisrael candidate for the Knesset, Rabbi Yitzhak Goldknopf, said that "there is no reason to be dragged into the spins put out by the Transport Minister when her whole purpose is to incite the hareidi public. She has not been able to promote anything during her time in her office, so there is no chance that she will be able to promote trains on Shabbat. Either way, her tenure at the Transportation Ministry is almost up, and after the upcoming elections, she will have time in the opposition to take stock of her ineptness and her failed attempts to harm the values ​​sacred to the Jewish People."

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) said: "The Transport Minister has failed, decided to trample on Shabbat in the State of Israel and harm the Jewish identity of the state as part of her election campaign."

"The upcoming elections are about whether the State of Israel will remain a Jewish and democratic state or, God forbid, will become a state for all its citizens led by the progressive left along with the supporters of terrorism. We will not allow them to do this," said Smotrich.

MK Itamar Ben Gvir said: "I suggest to Merav Michaeli that she start dealing with Israel's difficult transportation problems on weekdays before looking for provocations on Shabbat. Instead of worrying about the problem of traffic jams and accidents, Minister Michaeli is looking for easy headlines, once by engaging in temper tantrums on the train, and now by desecrating Shabbat and hurting the Jewish identity of the country. Maybe it's better that you keep doing what you're good at, Tiktok."

Not surprisingly, there is support for Michaeli’s announcement from her own party. Naama Lazimi wrote on Twitter: “Public transportation on Shabbat is a necessity for freedom of movement for all citizens and not only those with private vehicles. Limiting freedom of movement on behalf of those who do not need public transportation on Shabbat is a perversion that should have been abolished by now. There are members of the public who need transportation on Shabbat.”

Ibtisam Mara'ana, also in Labor, tweeted that it is not right to restrict the freedom of movement on Shabbat for those who do not own private cars.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz (National Unity) stated his opposition to the suggestion. “I follow tradition and I am in favor of honoring the sanctity of the Shabbat,” he tweeted. "While I do not follow halachah [Jewish law], I do not work on Shabbat. I do not want to hurt those for whom the Shabbat is important. Therefore, we should defer to the local authorities who know best what is appropriate for each area.”