Current sectionIsrael NewsReligion & Holy LandAs demonstrations against Café Basimta grow, one Haredi leader said that the owner has a 'right to open on the Sabbath, and we have the right to protest against it. There are plenty of secular neighborhoods in the city – let them open there'Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe12:36 AM • August 08 2026 IDTAfter years of relative calm, Jerusalem's long-running battles over Sabbath observance have erupted anew in recent weeks, with ultra-Orthodox protesters targeting a downtown café that has become the center of a growing dispute over businesses operating on Shabbat.CommentsIn the NewsJerusalem Braces for Saturday Sabbath Battles Over Downtown CaféFour Killed in Houthi Attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Sources SayLebanon, Israel Agree on Countries That Could Verify Hezbollah DisarmamentIran Is Getting Closer to Controlling Hormuz Without Curbing Its Nuclear ProgramSaudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Defense Pact Amid Regional TensionsRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIHow Israel's Elbit Armed the United Arab EmiratesIsrael Captured 230 Square Miles of Lebanon, Razed Villages and Built New BasesIt's No Wonder Israelis Want War. Violence Has Become a Source of JoyHow a Teen, Not a Journalist, Debunked Israel's Gaza 'Voluntary Emigration' PlanFormer Mossad Chief Appointed to Lead U.S. Defense Technology CompanyAs Stevens Falters, Michigan Jews Ponder Their Place in the Democratic Party