Uproar in Likud after Haim Katz tries to fire interim head of Israel Land Authority

Likud party ministers and local officials are sent into an uproar after Construction and Housing Minister Haim Katz attempted to fire Yehuda Eliyahu, the interim head of the Israel Land Authority.

The move has led Likud to issue a statement saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Eliyahu’s appointment, that he does “important national work in the Galilee and Negev, and will not be fired.”

Katz claims in a statement that he was summoning Eliyahu to a hearing prior to termination due to mismanagement, inappropriate remarks and discrimination toward women, according to the Ynet outlet.

“The series of matters will be examined in the framework of the hearing, which will be held with an open heart and willing spirit, and according to the rules of proper management,” Katz says.

But news of the hearing has led to a cascade of protests from Eliyahu’s defenders, who are accusing Katz of a power grab. Eliyahu is an ally of far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi notes that Eliyahu’s appointment faced legal challenges, and accuses Katz in a social media post of “paving the way for an appointment that’s acceptable to the deep state.”

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli posts, “Yehuda Eliyahu is one of the most important appointees of the nationalist camp, and no power broker with a reserved spot [on the Likud election slate] will move him out of his job.”

Ynet reports that dozens of mayors and local officials have also come out in an open letter against firing Eliyahu, saying that doing so will impede the development of the Negev and Galilee.