Israeli traffic is returning to normal following a morning marked by jams and congestion in light of an ongoing spat between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, police say.
“Traffic is flowing as normal on all intercity roads across the country,” a statement reads.
A snapshot of heavy traffic north of Tel Aviv at 7:20 a.m. on September 4, 2016. (screen capture: Google Maps)
Some 150 train departures on the Haifa-Tel Aviv route, the country’s busiest, were canceled for Sunday, affecting an estimated 150,000 travelers and commuters, including thousands of soldiers returning to their bases after weekends home.
Trains will resume operating on the line only at 7 p.m. Israel Railways said, after planned repair work to the rail line was ordered frozen by Netanyahu on Friday evening when Haredi parties Shas and United Torah Judaism complained over the violation of the Jewish Sabbath, threatening to topple the coalition if it was not prevented.
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 4, 2016
