Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert has agreed Shinui's
demands to stop sending Druse inspectors around on Shabbos to
penalize shopping malls open illegally "until the issue has
been studied." The Mafdal says this step would cause a crisis
in the coalition, while Shinui insists "there will not be
religious coercion in this government."
The coalition crisis that erupted last Thursday could have an
impact on the government's ability to function in the future.
The Mafdal announcement threatening to withdraw from the
government appears insincere because the party has faced
harsh public criticism ever since it forged a commitment
recently to collaborate with Shinui, criticism that could
precipitate a coalition crisis initiated by the Mafdal and
eventually leading to a compromise on the issue to prevent
the party from resigning.
Last Thursday, Industry and Trade Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert announced he was halting the work of
Druse inspectors who have been employed in recent years to
enforce the Shabbos Law. Thousands of fines have been issued
to store owners who opened for business on Shabbos. In 2000
alone, the inspectors found 1,800 businesses open on Shabbos
and imposed administrative fines on 500 business owners.
Sixty-seven indictments have been filed in court and in all
of cases the judges have upheld the law prohibiting chilul
Shabbos befarhesiyo, refusing demands to rescind it.
In the most recent of these cases, just two weeks ago, a
company operating on Shabbos asked the High Court to annul
the law prohibiting the employment of Jews on Shabbos on the
grounds that it allegedly conflicts with the Basic Law, of
freedom of employment. Judge Daliya Dorner rejected the
appeal, ruling that the Basic Law allows interfering with
employment on Shabbos since the law fits the country's
values.
Despite such rulings, Olmert decided to continue his trend of
recent weeks by halting the inspections immediately,
following inducements by Justice Minister and Shinui Chairman
Yosef Lapid, who said, "This policy was [promoted] by Shas,
which is no longer a member of the government."
Mafdal Chairman, Minister Effie Eitam contacted the Prime
Minister asking him to instruct Olmert to continue enforcing
the Labor and Rest Hours Law by maintaining the policy of
dispatching Druse inspectors as has been practiced in recent
years. "Olmert's decision to suspend the inspectors' work
represents a serious violation of the coalition agreement,"
Eitam told reporters. How the Prime Minister intends to
handle this development remains unclear, but the issue
requires urgent attention since it caused instability in the
government already in its first month in power.
Olmert's illegal decision brought several additional
responses. MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz said there is no reason to
study the matter if the courts have addressed it numerous
times already. "Something smells fishy when Olmert starts to
work for Tomi Lapid. The issue is not worth examining and
this is simply an outright capitulation by Olmert to Tomi
Lapid and Shinui. All those who are constantly shouting about
the rule of law want to fight against the law itself? I don't
understand why the issue requires an investigation by a
minister. Whenever it was brought before the courts they
always sided with the Ministry of Labor and Welfare on the
question of its legality," said Ravitz.
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni said, "As gedolei Yisroel
predicted, this is a government whose plan is to destroy
every trace of Judaism in this country. As part of their plan
the Olmert-Lapid duo agreed to destroy everything, including
putting a stop to the work of the inspectors at malls on
Shabbos. This means that the State of Israel, as per their
plan, is turning into a non-Jewish country that will not have
the merit to exist. We will have to warn the whole world
because of the dangerous direction of the terrible
devastation the Prime Minister is doing with the Olmert-Lapid
duo and with the Mafdal's support."
