Feiglin calls for Ben Gurion Airport, public broadcaster to shut down on Shabbat

Zehut chairman Moshe Feiglin called for Ben Gurion Airport and Kan public broadcaster to shut down on Shabbat, while defending his opposition to a nationwide ban on public transportation during the day of rest. He argued for a distinction between state institutions and local communities, opposing what he called "populist, empty laws."

Zehut chairman Moshe Feiglin called for Ben Gurion Airport and Israel's Kan public broadcaster to shut down on Shabbat, while defending his opposition to a nationwide ban on public transportation during the Jewish day of rest. The remarks came ahead of Tuesday's election and after Feiglin, who is No. 2 on the far-right Religious Zionism-Zehut slate, said earlier Sunday that he would vote against such a blanket prohibition, including in communities where buses already operate on Shabbat. At a conference on Sunday, Feiglin was asked whether he would bring down a bill banning public transportation on Shabbat across Israel. He answered that he would. Feiglin later posted a video rejecting claims that his answer meant he embraced public transportation on Shabbat, calling it a "false and ugly spin." He argued that state institutions must maintain a distinctly Jewish character, citing Ben Gurion Airport and Channel 11 as examples that should be closed on Shabbat. Feiglin said he opposed coercive legislation because Israelis had had enough of "political provocation laws whose sole purpose is to ignite a civil war in Israel." He pointed to past legislation restricting businesses from opening on Shabbat as having failed and deepened social divisions. Final pre-election polls released last week showed Religious Zionism-Zehut winning six to eight seats.