On April 9, the eve of the second holiday of Passover, Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz shared a short post on his Facebook page: “Without buses, without the handful of protesters, just a hike in HaTeomim River. Happy holiday.” Next to the provocative message was a photo of the minister hiking on a beautiful green trail alongside a religious family.

This post was another move in the public battle that has developed in recent days between Katz and activists promoting public transportation on the Sabbath. It all started when activists posted a demand to change Israel's long-standing policy that forbids public bus companies from operating on Saturday. Katz accused them of being leftists waging a political attack. Since then, the battle on social networks has developed into protests in front of Katz’s house in Moshav Kfar Ahim in the south. On the eve of the holiday, several dozen protesters arrived at his home, among them a Knesset member from the Meretz Party, Tamar Zandberg, who presented a bill to allow public transportation on the Sabbath.

The main argument raised by the protesters is based on social justice. Disadvantaged families who do not own cars, they say, cannot relax and enjoy their leisure time like the rest of the population. There’s also the environmental argument that the use of public transportation is more efficient and environmentally friendly than the use of private cars.

But the moment the fight started, Katz chose to turn the debate into a partisan issue, claiming that the uproar is a campaign by left-wing and public transportation activists. In his view, this protest is the continuation of the political attack on the Likud government before the election as part of the “Anyone but Bibi” campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.