Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday sent a letter to leaders of Yahadut HaTorah following their request to prevent chillul Shabbos during the Eurovision Song Contest this coming weekend to reassure them that the contest is not government run and the government does not sanction chillul Shabbos.

“I would like to make it clear that the Eurovision Song Contest is a singular international event set in advance by international standards that are not under government control and are managed exclusively by the public broadcasting corporation and not by the government,” Netanyahu wrote.

The Prime Minister added, however, that “the Israeli government is not interested in desecrating Shabbos, and that most of the participants in the event are from abroad and are not Jewish.”

“The Israeli government respects Shabbos as the day of national rest and will continue to maintain the status quo established in Israel over the years,” Netanyahu said.

Read more at Arutz Sheva.