Protests Escalate in Safed Over Sabbath Bus Service, Five Arrested

Tensions over Sabbath observance in Safed intensified last Saturday as hundreds of protesters gathered at key transportation hubs to oppose public bus lines operating during the Sabbath. The demonstrators targeted three regional routes run by the company Netiv Express: lines 361 to Haifa, 511 to Kiryat Shmona, and 367 to Nahariya, which begin service on Fridays at 6 p.m., about two and a half hours before the Sabbath ends. Protesters physically blocked the bus routes, leading police to disperse the crowds and arrest five individuals for obstructing traffic and disturbing public order. Four detainees were released by Saturday night, while one remains in custody as protest representatives negotiate for his release.

The protest organizers, operating under the group "Union of Sabbath Lovers in Safed," are also pursuing legal action against the bus operations. They argue that running these lines on the Sabbath violates the 1991 Traffic Ordinance amendment, which restricts the Transport Minister's authority to approve Sabbath public transport only under very limited conditions, such as essential services to hospitals or non-Jewish communities. This policy, reaffirmed by the Knesset's Economic Committee in 2020, prohibits new Sabbath routes that did not exist in 1991, making the current Safed lines illegal according to the organizers.

The issue has become a major political and social flashpoint in Safed, with intense pressure placed on the newly elected mayor, Yossi Kakon. Rabbis and community leaders from all ultra-Orthodox parties in the city council have urged him to use his influence with the Ministry of Transport to halt the weekend bus services. Meanwhile, secular residents express concern about restrictions on freedom of movement and the existing status quo, emphasizing that these bus lines are vital for soldiers, students, and residents without private vehicles who need access to Haifa and the Galilee before the Sabbath ends. The protest leaders have vowed to escalate their actions until Sabbath desecrations cease in the city.