Over the past few years, battles over the Sabbath have been a source of bitter discord in Israeli society. On one side of the divide are the ultra-Orthodox, who demonstrate frequently against what they claim are violations of the status quo, such as the operation of commercial and cultural centers on the Sabbath. On the other side were local authorities, such as the municipality of Tel Aviv, which encouraged businesses to open on the Sabbath and even operated public transportation on Friday nights and Saturdays. Today, local authorities in Herzliya, Emek Hefer, Arad, Beersheba, Kfar Saba and Ramat HaSharon all operate city-wide public transportation on the Sabbath, while in Jerusalem, residents have established a private initiative to provide people with a public transportation option during those periods.

In December 2015, the Knesset’s Ministerial Committee on Legislation approved a law proposed by Knesset member Miki Zohar (Likud) to ban businesses from opening on the Sabbath, with the exception of restaurants, gas stations and hotels. The law would authorize the minister of economic affairs to grant special permits to businesses to operate on the Sabbath, instead of each local authority regulating what is allowed in its jurisdiction through a series of municipal bylaws. The proposed bill also imposed a significant increase in penalties on businesses that violate the law.

Many Knesset members, including some from the coalition, were so opposed to the bill that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Zohar to write a more moderate version, hoping it would win greater support. The original law was toned down significantly, and is now being advanced by four Knesset members: two from the coalition and two from the opposition. It is worth noting that none of them represents an ultra-Orthodox or other religious party. They are Zohar, Rachel Azaria (Kulanu), Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) and Manuel Trachtenberg (Zionist Camp).

Quite a few secular Knesset members support the proposed law, including, for example, Dov Khenin, a Jewish member of the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties. He has been quoted in the press as saying, “I consider what has happened to the Sabbath to be a tragedy. The Sabbath is an impressive social achievement. … It is a chance for all of us to pause for a moment in the mad rat race of life.”