Likud officials: Firing Katz off the table
After an intense cabinet meeting in which Prime Minister sends a clear warning to Transport Minister Yisrael Katz, senior Likud officials say that Netanyahu's earlier consideration of firing him is no longer an option; PM: 'Ministers are appointed to solve crises, not to create them.'
While Israel’s roads are still expected to remain jammed until the Haifa-Tel Aviv line is reopened in the evening upon completion of maintenance work, it appears that the political storm has calmed as senior Likud officials say that the possibility of Prime Minister Netanyahu firing Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz has been removed from the table.
According to the officials, Netanyahu heeded the advice not to fire Katz so as to avoid turning him into a public hero who voiced his anger over the chaotic situation of public transport.
On Saturday night, the prospect of Katz becoming the next victim of Netanyahu’s political hit list was a serious possibility. However, after an extremely tense cabinet meeting, during which the two exchanged not a single word and Netanyahu signalled a clear threat against Katz, the option seems to have been scratched.
The tension comes on the heels of the Shabbat-train dispute which continued to dominate the headlines and political agenda at the beginning of yet another week.
Katz became a source of irritation for Netanyahu when the two publicly locked horns in recent weeks over the issue. Before the meeting, Katz refused to comment on the matter during a meeting with Likud ministers. Netanyahu however, did not remain silent. “I won’t let anyone launch a putsch against me,” he said earlier Sunday morning.
During his opening cabinet remarks, the prime minister wasted no time in addressing the matter.
“This crisis is completely unnecessary; there was no need for it to come to this. There has been a status quo in Israel for many years. When work needs to be done on Shabbat, it is done, just as it was last Saturday on the Ayalon Highway,” Netanyahu said.
“When work doesn't have to be done on Shabbat, they it isn't. This is the rule that has been guiding us and will continue guiding us. Over the past seven years, the government has invested close to NIS 30 billion in a massive expansion of the roads, train tracks, and, of course, in building interchanges, tunnels, etc.,” he continued. “We've succeeded in doing all of that without any unnecessary crises. When you don't want a crisis, it can be avoided. I expected full cooperation from all of the ministers."
Asked earlier on Sunday whether Netanyahu had decided to fire Katz, Coalition Chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) did not deny it. “It is a possible option. We are trying to avoid this but at the moment we are not succeeding in doing so,” Bitan said during an interview with Ynet. “There is a serious confidence crisis and this is an option from his point of view. We are trying to stop the decision.”
Bitan went on to say, “I suggested all kinds of compromises. Today things are not good and the situation needs to be calmed. I am trying but the way to do it is to work in harmony so that that we can solve the crisis together. The minister can cooperate with the prime minister in order to solve the crisis. We need to find a compromise.”
Addressing the ongoing political dispute with the Haredi party, Bitan described it as “real. No one understands why the Israel Railways is insisting on doing things the way it is and creating a real crisis.”
The inconvenience was caused when, last week, a political furor broke out over planned infrastructure-improvement construction that was supposed to take place during Shabbat, when the trains do not run.
The ultra-Orthodox factions in the government objected and threatened to withdraw from the coalition—effectively bringing down the government. Under pressure, the prime minister proposed a compromise in which he suggested that out of the 20 projects that Israel Railways had requested to undertake on Shabbat, 17 would be cancelled. On Friday however, Haredi politicians insisted that all 20 projects be cancelled.
Giving in to Haredi demands, Netanyahu's decision caused major disruptions to the public transport networks as the Haifa-Tel Aviv line was put out of operations for maintenance work on Sunday, leading to heavy traffic buildups, massive lines at bus staions and crowded buses. Haphazard solutions were sought such as Egged bus company sending 140 extra buses to the roads. However, huge delays were caused and traffic mounted significantly.
