<p class="content-excerpt">Netanyahu says: 'I want to reassure you – there is and will be electricity on Shabbat'</p> <div class="components"> <p>Israel's prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu told the parliament on Tuesday that the country's religious status quo would remain the same after fear arose regarding reported demands from an ultra-Orthodox party.&nbsp;</p> <p>While speaking in the Knesset plenum, Netanyahu reassured that Israel would not be governed by Jewish law -&nbsp;<em>halacha</em>&nbsp;- and instead "be a state where we will take care of all Israeli citizens without exception."</p> <div class="taboola-wrapper"> <div class=" trc_related_container trc_spotlight_widget trc_elastic trc_elastic_ab_mid-article-thumbnails_abp-mode "></div> </div> <p>Netanyahu refuted a&nbsp;<em>Channel 12</em>&nbsp;report that emerged on Monday claiming that&nbsp;<a class="link" title="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670876379-utj-demands-no-energy-generation-on-shabbat-report" href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670876379-utj-demands-no-energy-generation-on-shabbat-report" _mce_href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670876379-utj-demands-no-energy-generation-on-shabbat-report">the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party made sweeping religious demands</a>&nbsp;during coalition negotiations.&nbsp;</p> <p>These requests included, among others, barring energy generation on the Jewish rest day of Shabbat, additional public transportation discounts in predominantly ultra-Orthodox cities and more gender-segregated beaches</p> </div>