PM slams transportation minister as train row reignites internal Likud battle
As his top aide accuses Katz of ‘putsch’ bid, Netanyahu says coalition crisis over Shabbat work was deliberate attempt to weaken his relationship with Haredi public
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday accused Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz of sparking a coalition crisis over work on Israel’s railways on Shabbat, just weeks after the two fought over control of a key Likud party institution.
Netanyahu claimed Katz created the row between Likud and leaders of ultra-Orthodox parties last week when he ordered the continuation of construction projects over the weekend, ostensibly in order to avoid train delays.
“This crisis was started by Katz unnecessarily to undermine the relationship between the prime minister and the ultra-Orthodox public, as well as damage his reputation within the general public,” Netanyahu’s office said a statement.
The prime minister was “shocked at the cynical attack,” his office said. Channel 2 said Saturday night that the prime minister was poised to fire Katz.
“From the very beginning, there was no need to call for work to be done on the Sabbath. It was possible for the work to be done at other times, and not hurt the ultra-Orthodox public, or the soldiers,” Netanyahu’s office said, adding that Katz was “holding both passengers and soldiers hostage.”
Netanyahu instructed Israel Railways on Friday to halt 17 out of 20 projects that had been scheduled to take place over the weekend, after ultra-Orthodox parties threatened to topple the coalition if work continued on the Sabbath. Work on the 17 projects would instead take place on Saturday night — after Shabbat has ended — and on Sunday, leading to the cancellation of services at several railway stations.
The canceled lines affect some 70,000 travelers, including thousands of soldiers on mandatory military service who go home for the weekends.
The prime minister’s chief of staff, Yoav Horowitz, on Saturday night accused Yisrael Katz of trying to carry out a “putsch” against Netanyahu, Israel Radio reported. Horowitz said that the political maneuver caused deliberate harm to soldiers and other train passengers.
According to Horowitz, Katz promised the religious parties that there would not be any non-essential work on Shabbat, but suddenly presented 20 projects that he claimed had to be carried out on the weekend.
The chief of staff said Netanyahu did everything in his power to avoid disruptions to passengers, and ordered, inter alia, alternative transportation for soldiers on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister also instructed the Transportation Ministry to increase the number of bus lines in Tel Aviv and Haifa to alleviate delays caused by the suspended rail service.
Rumors that Netanyahu was planning to fire Katz surfaced Friday, with Channel 10 television reporting that the prime minister is sure his transportation minister deliberately triggered the coalition crisis.
Netanyahu and Katz, both Likud heavyweights, publicly fought last month amid speculation over a possible leadership contest in the ruling party in the next election cycle. Netanyahu summoned Katz to a meeting a day after the latter pushed through the Likud’s secretariat a series of decisions that weakened the position of the party chairmanship, held by Netanyahu.
The Likud secretariat, of which Katz is chairman, is the internal organ responsible for party operations, including staff, budget, regional offices and election campaign efforts.
Also Saturday, the head of the left-wing Meretz party Zehava Galon petitioned the High Court of Justice to overturn Netanyahu’s decision to halt the weekend railway work.
“The court must put an end to the prime minster’s unbridled frenzy on the backs of thousands of passengers,” Galon said.
Meanwhile, members of the opposition announced on Saturday they collected 25 MK signatures required to force a special committee session to discuss Netanyahu’s decision. Demonstrations against the suspension of rail lines also took place at central Tel Aviv and Haifa train stations on Saturday night.
The Times of Israel Community.