Transportation minister vows to boycott road safety group after scheduling spat

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz on Tuesday announced he would cut all ties with Or Yarok after a scheduling conflict led to harsh criticism of the traffic safety organization.

Katz told Army Radio that Or Yarok had become “a political entity in every way, whose role is to attack the government and the Transportation Ministry in particular.”

Katz earlier on Tuesday was slated to attend a traffic safety conference sponsored by Or Yarok, but canceled his appearance over a scheduling conflict.

During the conference, Or Yarok founder Avi Naor publicly noted Katz’s absence, telling participants the bulk of his remarks would be directed at the transportation minister, saying he was “sure they will reach him somehow.”

Katz fired back after the perceived slight, telling the radio station he had informed the organization that he wouldn’t be able to attend its conference due to a scheduling conflict.

“I have no intention of working with Or Yarok… The Transportation Ministry along with the National Road Safety Authority will continue to work promoting road safety to prevent accidents,” he said.

Katz further accused the nonprofit of trying to undermine the ministry’s authority by “using false data and completely ignoring the facts while cooperating with businesses with a vested interest.”

The Or Yarok Association for Safer Driving has repeatedly accused the government of failing to address Israel’s increasing traffic fatality rates in recent years.

The annual state comptroller report from 2016 found a sharp increase in the number of fatality rates since 2012, making Israeli roads more deadly than most of their OECD counterparts.

The review found “many faults” with efforts by law enforcement, the National Road Safety Authority, the Transportation Ministry and the Education Ministry to reverse the trend.