Israel Orders Buses to Skip Stops Named After Yasser Arafat

Israel's Ministry of Transportation has ordered public transport authorities to cease bus stops at stations named after Yasser Arafat in the town of Jatt, located in the northern West Bank.

The directive was issued by Transportation Minister Miri Regev following a report on Channel 14 that public transportation systems still listed stations bearing the name of the former PLO chairman.

According to current public transport data, several stations in Jatt are designated as "Yasser Arafat/Albian" and "Yasser Arafat/Ahmed Abu Asbeh." These stations are served by Line 24, operated by Kavim. Regev stated that as early as 2013, when she chaired the Knesset's Interior Committee, she opposed a request from Sakhnin municipality to name a street after Arafat. She argued that the public space in Israel should not commemorate leaders of the PLO, who she holds responsible for attacks and the murder of Israelis.

The current action is based on the link between street names and the public transportation system. Regev explained that bus announcements and station names are derived directly from street names approved by the Ministry of Interior. Therefore, until the street names are changed, she has instructed that buses stop making stops there. The Ministry of Transportation is expected to provide residents with an alternative transportation route using streets not named after Arafat. This means changing the stop points and passenger information, not canceling public service in the town.

This issue is not new. In 2017, the then-Interior Minister contacted the Jatt local council regarding street signs bearing Arafat's name. The letter noted that the street name had not been approved by the Ministry of Interior and demanded the removal of the signs. The name has now reappeared in the public transport system, and the ministry is seeking its removal from station and route designations.