“We must make arrangements for public transportation on Shabbat,” said MK Nava Boker (Likud) Tuesday in a meeting of the Economic Affairs Committee on public transportation on Saturdays. MK Yoav Ben-Tzur (Shas) called for the discussion because he says sometimes during the winter public transportation continues on Friday after the Jewish Sabbath has begun when the sun sets early.

MK Miki Zohar (Likud), who sponsored a bill to close businesses on Shabbat, agreed with Boker – as did Rachel Azaria (Kulanu). But the Haredi coalition partners, Shas and United Torah Judaism, oppose the proposal.

Boker objected to ending public transportation early on Fridays before sundown when Shabbat begins early, saying “the issue of public transportation on Shabbat is an issue that has split Israeli society for over two generations. I come from a traditional family, and precisely for this reason it pains me so much to see the hostility and disagreement over the day that should unite us the most.