The Labor Party said in a statement Monday that party leader and Transportation Minister Merav Michael's security detail was beefed up "in light of increased threats" after she announced that the Tel Aviv Light Rail will operate on the Sabbath
Michaeli's announcement that the large infrastructure project — currently in advanced stages of construction — will operate on the Jewish day of rest drew ire from Israel's ultra-Orthodox sector.
Last week, lawmaker Bezalel Smotrich, a far-right traditionalist, said that “instead of dealing with the transportation catastrophe that all Israeli citizens suffer from, Merav Michaeli prefers to spread empty slogans.”
He vowed that future right-wing governments "will make sure to cancel any decision that harms the Jewish character of the country, and we will preserve the Sabbath and its sanctity as the national day of rest.”
In Jerusalem, a city with a far higher proportion of ultra-religious residents than Tel Aviv, the light rail is inoperative on the Sabbath.