An ultra-Orthodox minister in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government quit on Sunday in a dispute over work on the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest.
But a spokesman for health minister Yaakov Litzman told AFP that his United Torah Judaism party would remain in the ruling alliance “at this stage”, preserving Netanyahu’s slim parliamentary majority at least for the time being.

Similar disputes have caused Israeli coalition crises in the past, but Netanyahu was reportedly seeking ways to prevent further fallout.

“I resign from my cabinet position as health minister,” Litzman wrote in his resignation letter, a copy of which was sent to AFP.

“The decision follows the public works conducted on the Sabbath by Israel Railways,” he added.

“I cannot bear ministerial responsibility for the severe harm to one of the eternal values of the Jewish people, which is the Sabbath.”

Litzman will retain his seat in parliament.

The dispute is over railway maintenance work, which is less disruptive to travellers on the Sabbath, when no trains run.

The national rail company says some Sabbath work is necessary in the interests of public safety and to avoid congestion on roads.

Litzman said, “To my regret Israel Railways has lately made the Sabbath day national maintenance day,” he told Israeli army radio after handing in his resignation to the cabinet secretary.

“It unnecessarily does all its rail maintenance work on the Sabbath,” he said.

Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown on Saturday.

Netanyahu had reportedly been seeking to persuade Litzman not to resign by offering backing for various measures the health minister and his supporters favour.

Ultra-Orthodox parties have often played a kingmaker role in Israel’s politics.

They control 13 seats in Netanyahu’s coalition, which has 66 out of 120 seats in parliament.

They demand strict adherence to Jewish law, particularly on the Sabbath, when no work is allowed. Electricity must not be turned on or off and engines must not be operated between sunset on Friday and sunset Saturday

.

As it is written "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
( Romans 10:3-5 )

My fellow Christians, I want to clear your doubt about the state of Israel at the moment. Israel is not a Christian country as some people claim but rather its main religion is Judaism. Israel is 75.6% Jewish, only about 2% Christian(mostly from America and other countries), 16.9% Muslim(mostly from Arab countries) and 5.5% others. Because they have not accepted that Jesus Christ is their awaited Messiah. They are still waiting in vain for another Messiah. But God allows them to be in this state so as to visit us the Gentiles but before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, God will allow them to believe in Jesus Christ and thus save them.
From the Bible quoted above, Israel are very religious people, they still observe all the old testament ordinances perfectly without fail. An Israeli can recite the whole Torah while sleeping. They are very passionate for God but not according to knowledge they still try to establish their own righteousness not knowing that Christ is the end of the Law. This means Christ has become our righteousness when we just believe in Him. There are two types of righteousness human righteousness which is a dirty rag before God and God's righteousness which gives us peace and eternal life through our faith in what Christ has done.
How then can we come in contact with this God's righteousness? Please download this Ebook 'Our Lord Who Becomes The Righteousness Of God (I) and (II), by Rev Paul C Jong' to know all about the righteousness of our great God through an exegesis on the book of Romans. Click on the link to start the download instantly.
Book 1 [PDF] (2MB)
‎https://drive.google.com/uc?authuser=0&id=0B8wCbx7jt6ZJeGhYZUtMcjE1NE0&export=download
Book 2 [PDF] (3MB)
‎https://drive.google.com/uc?authuser=0&id=0B8wCbx7jt6ZJNXZ1cEFWU0dSUms&export=download

live4dgospel:
As it is written "For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
( Romans 10:3-5 )

My fellow Christians, I want to clear your doubt about the state of Israel at the moment. Israel is not a Christian country as some people claim but rather its main religion is Judaism. Israel is 75.6% Jewish, only about 2% Christian(mostly from America and other countries), 16.9% Muslim(mostly from Arab countries) and 5.5% others. Because they have not accepted that Jesus Christ is their awaited Messiah. They are still waiting in vain for another Messiah. But God allows them to be in this state so as to visit us the Gentiles but before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, God will allow them to believe in Jesus Christ and thus save them.
From the Bible quoted above, Israel are very religious people, they still observe all the old testament ordinances perfectly without fail. An Israeli can recite the whole Torah while sleeping. They are very passionate for God but not according to knowledge they still try to establish their own righteousness not knowing that Christ is the end of the Law. This means Christ has become our righteousness when we just believe in Him. There are two types of righteousness human righteousness which is a dirty rag before God and God's righteousness which gives us peace and eternal life through our faith in what Christ has done.
How then can we come in contact with this God's righteousness? Please download this Ebook 'Our Lord Who Becomes The Righteousness Of God (I) and (II), by Rev Paul C Jong' to know all about the righteousness of our great God through an exegesis on the book of Romans. Click on the link to start the download instantly.
Book 1 [PDF] (2MB)
‎https://drive.google.com/uc?authuser=0&id=0B8wCbx7jt6ZJeGhYZUtMcjE1NE0&export=download
Book 2 [PDF] (3MB)
‎https://drive.google.com/uc?authuser=0&id=0B8wCbx7jt6ZJNXZ1cEFWU0dSUms&export=download

I just laugh when Africans says they are save while the people that own the biblical references and culture are not...

You better start asking questions about the religion the Europeans brought to u. The Roman version of Christianity is even different from the one Africans especially Nigerians are practicing.

The bible talks more about the Israeli yet u are sayng the Israeli don't believe in Jesus Christ...yet they are not save.

have you researched to know if the Romans are the one lieing in that book called bible..

You want to know more than people's culture and believe.