Coalition Chair Delays Metropolitan Reform Bill Amid Ultra-Orthodox Pressure

Ophir Katz, the coalition chairman from Likud, appears to have yielded to pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties and is expected not to advance the Metropolitan Authorities Law for a vote. This structural reform aimed to dismantle centralized government control and transfer authority directly to three independent metropolitan bodies in the Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa areas, which encompass dozens of cities. The bill was scheduled for approval this week in its second and third readings and promised to significantly change transportation planning in these major metropolitan regions.

Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members pressured Katz to prioritize legislation important to them, including exemptions from arrest for draft dodgers, kosher certification reforms, and gender segregation laws. Meanwhile, opposition parties have indicated to the coalition chairman that they would support the bill even without ultra-Orthodox backing.