After Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat expresses anger at Prime Minister Netanyahu for naming a minister for Jerusalem affairs, the PM sends Barkat a message of peace, saying the government will continue to invest in the capital and to work closely with the mayor.
Netanyahu appointed Ze’ev Elkin as minister for Jerusalem Affairs as compensation for his briefly held Ministry of Intelligence Affairs, which Netanyahu offered to Gilad Erdan to sweeten his return to a ministerial position.
In doing so, the PM broke a promise to the mayor not to appoint a minister in charge of the capital. Barkat’s request came from his bad experience with former Jerusalem minister Naftali Bennett.
After Barkat expressed his disappointment at the appointment of Elkin, Netanyahu says during a government session that “we will continue to build Jerusalem. This we shall do with a very dynamic and invigorated mayor. We do not always agree with him, but we always work with him, and this will continue.”
Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 19, 2015 (Marc Israel Selleml/Flash90)
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