Liberman Visits Jerusalem Café During Fifth Weekly Shabbat Protest

Haredi demonstrators gathered outside Café Basimta on Jerusalem’s Agrippas Street for a fifth consecutive Shabbat, protesting the business’s operation on the Jewish day of rest. Some protesters crossed police barriers and clashed with patrons and supporters before officers dispersed the crowd with batons. Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman visited the café in support, said drinking coffee on Shabbat should not require ‘civil courage,’ and pledged universal enlistment if his party reaches power. The café opened this spring and has become a recurring flashpoint in the capital’s dispute over public Shabbat observance.