JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Cabinet approved extending Daylight Saving Time.
The unanimous decision extends Daylight Saving Time from the Friday of the last week in March to the first Sunday after Oct. 1.
An advisory committee commissioned by Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the haredi Orthodox Shas Party had recommended the move.
The issue came to a head last summer when the clocks were changed in mid-September since Yom Kippur fell early in the fall. Israel changed to Standard Time two months before the United States last year.
Religious groups such as the Shas Party have called for the change back to Standard Time to take place before Yom Kippur so that the fast ends earlier. They say also that it is difficult to change the clocks later than early October because sunrise comes too late to allow observant Jews to participate in morning prayers before they must go to work.
"Extending daylight savings time will promote better coordination with Europe’s economic clock, extend daylight hours, and save electricity and resources for the Israeli economy," said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
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