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Trilingual signs – soon to be history?
Photo: Roee Zuckerman
English-only signs slammed
Safety official: English-only signs will endanger lives. MK Eldad: We kicked Brits out in 1948
A proposal that would see all intercity road signs on Israel's highways replaced by English-only signs is drawing fire, with a transportation official saying the move would put the lives of Israeli drivers at risk, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad has already voiced his objection to the plan in a letter to the minister of transportation, noting that "I wish to remind you the official language in Israel is Hebrew."
Controversy
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Overhaul in Israel's intercity road signs will see Latin letters, road numbers replace trilingual 'chaos'
'The status of English as official language was annulled after my father and his friends managed to kick the British out of here," Eldad told the transportation minister. "I'm certain you heard about it, it happened in 1948."
"No sane country in the world would propose signs in a foreign language only," Eldad said. "I'll be glad to hear that you ordered this initiative be canceled."
'Grave danger'
Meanwhile, the chairman of transportation safety officers, Yaakov Rosenthal, also slammed the proposal and said it would endanger the lives of Israelis.
"Signs in English only would be a grave danger," he said, and added "drivers' attention would be diverted to trying to comprehend the English signs, thus causing traffic to slow down, many accidents, and traffic jams."
Rosenthal also called on the minister of transportation to do away with the initiative and stick with Hebrew signs.
Currently, intercity road signs in Israel feature three languages: Hebrew, Arabic, and English.
