Religious tensions in Tzfat intensified over the weekend as hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the city's main bus stations to protest public desecration of the Shabbat through the operation of intercity bus services on Fridays.
The protests focused on three regional routes operated by Netiv Express-Route 361 to Haifa, Route 511 to Kiryat Shmona, and Route 367 to Nahariya-which begin departing from Tzfat at around 6 p.m. on Fridays, roughly two and a half hours before the start of the Shabbat.
During the demonstration, protesters blocked buses by standing in their paths, prompting police to intervene and disperse the crowd. Five demonstrators were arrested on suspicion of blocking traffic and disturbing public order. Four were released later Saturday night, while one remained in custody as organizers worked with police to secure his release.
The campaign is being led by the Association of Lovers of the Shabbat in Tzfat, which has combined public demonstrations with legal efforts challenging the bus service. Organizers argue that operating the routes before the Shabbat violates the existing legal framework governing public transportation on weekends.
They cite a 1991 amendment to Israel's Traffic Ordinance, which limits the transport minister's authority to approve public transportation on the Shabbat to exceptional circumstances, such as routes serving hospitals, peripheral communities, or non-Jewish localities. According to the group, a policy reaffirmed by the Knesset's Economic Affairs Committee in 2020 also stipulates that no new Shabbat bus routes may be introduced beyond those that existed in 1991, making the current Tzfat routes unlawful.
The dispute has become one of the city's most contentious political issues, placing growing pressure on newly elected Mayor Yossi Kakon.
Leading rabbis and representatives of the city's Haredi factions have urged Kakon to use his influence with the Ministry of Transport to halt the weekend services. Protest organizers have also vowed to intensify their campaign, saying they "will not remain silent until the desecration of the Shabbat in our city comes to an end."
At the same time, many secular residents have voiced concern that canceling the routes would restrict freedom of movement. They argue the bus lines provide a vital transportation link for soldiers, students, and residents without private vehicles traveling to Haifa and communities across the Galilee before the start of the Shabbat.