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80,000 Israelis Gather in Jerusalem to Protest Judicial Overhaul Amid Mass Strike [1]
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Date: 2023-02-13
Open gallery view A train station in Tel Aviv, this morning.
Israel Railways will reinforce train service from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Sunday, following complaints by passengers travelling the capital city to participate in the protests against the government's judicial overhaul about overcrowding.
According to a Channel 12 News report, this comes following a decision by Transport Minister Miri Regev not to reinforce train service to Jerusalem ahead of the protests, contrary to what is customary during mass public events held in the city, and despite recommendations by officials in the ministry.
On Sunday morning, the ministry published a letter pushing the responsibility for reinforcing train service to the discretion of the CEO of Israel Railways. According to the letter, the reinforcement will be done "as necessary," although the need for it was already clear yesterday.
It should be noted that there is a technical difficulty in increasing train frequency to Jerusalem due to overcrowding on the railway tracks near Tel Aviv. The way to resolve this normally is by disrupting train operation on other lines, as was done at the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, whose funeral last year drew hundreds of thousands of participants.
Israel Railways has increased staff and attendants at stations to direct passengers and reduce the chance of life-threatening crowding, after passengers claimed earlier today that there were no reinforcement of personnel at the central railway station in Jerusalem, contrary to claims by the Transportation Ministry. This claim was corroborated by some of the rail workers themselves.
Meanwhile, in central Tel Aviv, buses booked by high-tech companies to take workers to the protests in Jerusalem are set to set out to the capital, with workers inviting other protesters to travel with them.
Transport Minister Miri Regev's office has not given a response to the claims made by the passengers and Israel Railways staff.
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[1] Url:
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-13/ty-article-live/as-nationwide-strike-launches-across-israel-protesters-block-airport/00000186-495d-d80f-abff-6bdd90c30000#1672341134
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