It appears that Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz (Likud) has caved to pressure from the ultra-Orthodox and is expected not to bring the Metropolitan Authorities Law to a vote – a structural reform intended to dismantle government centralization and transfer control directly, at this stage, to three independent authorities in Gush Dan, Jerusalem and Haifa, combining dozens of cities together. The law was expected to be approved this week in its second and third readings and create a dramatic change in transportation planning in the major metropolitan areas. The ultra-Orthodox Knesset members pressured Katz to prioritize the laws important to them, such as exemption from arrest for draft dodgers, kosher certification reform, gender segregation and more. The opposition clarified to the coalition chairman that even without the ultra-Orthodox, the law would receive their support.
