Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the formation of a steering committee headed by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin to explore the possibility of allowing casinos in the southern resort city of Eilat.
The decision comes after a special top-level meeting to discuss the issue, which is being considered in order “to save the city of Eilat from economic failure and to create thousands of jobs,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Netanyahu reportedly favors casinos that would be open to foreign tourists only. A Tourism Ministry proposal, however, calls for the casino to also be open to Israeli citizens.
The steering committee will be made up of Levin, Prime Minister’s Office director Eli Groner, the director of the Transportation Ministry, and representatives from the Finance, Justice, Public Security and Interior ministries, as well as the mayor of Eilat.
Earlier in the day, the Jewish Home, Shas and UTJ factions said they would oppose any plan to allow gambling in Eilat.
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
— Stav Levaton, military reporter
Yes, I'll join
Yes, I'll join
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From 
