Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman today (Wednesday) gave a tour of the Phoenicia glass factory in Yeruham, and promised that after the elections he would work to dismantle the 'Committee for Maintaining the Sanctity of the Sabbath'. He hinted that economic interests are hidden behind the struggle against the factory.
Lieberman also added at the end of the factional tour of the factory that he would work to create a "counter-boycott" and would contact the Industrialists' Association and the Histadrut to that end.
""The Finitza factory here in Yeruham, in this place, has existed since 1968," Lieberman began. "From 1968 until three years ago, there were no problems. A significant portion of the workers at the Finitza factory are also religious workers. And so all this demand that suddenly emerged three years ago from some unclear body, the same body that calls itself the Committee for Preserving the Sanctity of Shabbat, where in fact the ones setting the tone there are all kinds of courtyards and all kinds of the most extreme groups among the Haredi public.".
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According to him, "The factory management, which wanted to reach an understanding - an arrangement with those people on the subject of Shabbat, has been unable to meet with them for three years, to create some kind of dialogue.".
He clarified: "What needs to be understood is that if that extremist group succeeds and subdues the factory, it will be the end of the whole story of Israeli industry. This is actually the first test. What we know is that on that list there are another 350 to 400 factories that are next in line.
""Therefore, we as Yisrael Beitenu, after we form a future coalition, will work to disband that 'Committee for Maintaining the Sanctity of the Sabbath.' We will also create a boycott against it, we will try to enlist both the Industrialists' Association and the Histadrut.".
Lieberman added: It is impossible for a factory that has existed since 1968 in the same place and in the same format and that everything was fine all the time, to wake up one day and start making all kinds of demands and all kinds of truly delusional people, and in my opinion they are more than delusional. Apparently, all kinds of economic interests are hidden behind all these demands. I have no doubt that behind this whole story there is an economic interest of all kinds of people close to one party or another - and therefore we will also work by law to dismantle this committee.
""The only body that must be authorized is a state body, a state body, there is such a body called the Chief Rabbinate. The fact that they have become its disciples and are siding with extremist groups is also one of the things that must change.".
""There is an important test here for all of Israeli industry, and we need to understand that what is hidden here is not the sanctity of the Sabbath, but the sanctity of money from all sorts of people close to this or that yard. And thirdly, this factory is critical not only as the anchor factory for workers in Dimona and Yeruham, it is an anchor factory for all environmental issues here in the area. If they don't bring that glass here, they will simply have to bury it in the ground. Also in terms of environmental quality, I think there is another harm here that people are less aware of.".
