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28 Adar I 5765 - March 9, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Final Approval for Daylight Savings Time Law

By Eliezer Rauchberger

A large majority of the Knesset plenum passed a law setting fixed dates for the beginning and end of daylight savings time. This year we will change the clocks at 2:00 am on Thursday night ("Spring forward"), between 20 and 21 Adar II (31 March).

According to the new law, initiated by MKs David Azoulai (Shas) and Eli Aflalo (Likud), every year daylight savings time will begin on the last Friday of March and will end on Motzei Shabbos Shuvoh. These dates will not require the approval of the Interior Minister or the Knesset Interior Committee. Based on calculations, daylight savings time will last between 150 and 190 days.

The law won the support of all Knesset parties except for Shinui, which stood alone in its opposition. Approval for the legislation was reached in a meeting MKs Rabbi Moshe Gafni and David Azoulai held with Interior Minister Ofir Pines and MK Chaim Oron of Meretz. Shinui MKs accused Oron and Pines of surrendering to the chareidim.

During the course of second- and third-reading discussions MK Rabbi Gafni lodged harsh criticism against the Shinui MKs, saying agreements cannot be reached with them on any issue because they turn every matter into a dispute between the religious and the secular, even matters wholly unrelated to religion such as daylight savings time.

Rabbi Gafni noted that in Interior Committee meetings all officials, including representatives of the Ministries of the Interior and Infrastructures, made clear the law has no monetary repercussions, yet "Shinui is searching high and low for matters of dispute so that you can say Ofir Pines capitulated and Chaim Oron capitulated, but you alone are the big bullies, the big heroes. You alone don't surrender."

Turning to the Shinui MKs Rabbi Gafni added, "You foment controversy for no reason. You are adamant for no reason, over a few days over the course of 20 years. The Israeli public is fed up with the false controversies you create . . . to receive votes. The public won't vote for you. You are quarrelsome people, troublemakers who foment dispute over nothing."

Minister Pines also criticized Shinui, saying that they voted in favor of the initiative in the first reading because of a compromise worked out by MKs Azoulai and Oron, but now they oppose the initiative because of 12 days out of 20 years. Twelve days does not justify refusing to back a logical compromise, said Pines.

He attacked Shinui for compromising with Shas on the daylight savings time issue in the past but suddenly finding it unacceptable when Meretz was willing to compromise as well. "This is a kind of hypocrisy, a kind of sleight of hand," said Pines. "This is unnecessary querulousness and is uncalled for. I think the moment the Knesset arrives at such a broad agreement from end to end it should be honored."

 

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