Government Orders Cross-Israel to Hold Merger Discussion with Netivei Israel

The merger process of Cross-Israel into Netivei Israel is advancing, with the Government Companies Authority instructing Cross-Israel's management to convene a board meeting within the coming week to review the merger proposal. This step is part of the ongoing process toward government approval. Under the proposed plan, new projects will no longer be assigned to Cross-Israel; active public transportation and urban road projects will transfer to Netivei Ayalon, while other activities, including railway projects, will move to Netivei Israel.

Cross-Israel was originally established to manage the construction of Highway 6, but after completing that project and seeing a decline in activity, the government assigned it new tasks related to the Metronit and light rail in northern Israel. The merger is expected to save the state approximately one billion shekels over five years, although implementation challenges remain.

Last week, Cross-Israel's management sent a sharp letter to Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Minister for Regional Cooperation Dudi Amsalem, criticizing the Government Companies Authority for a lack of formal communication, insufficient data sharing, and inadequate decision-making processes. The letter stated that under these circumstances, a lawful and serious merger cannot proceed. The merger still requires approval from the Finance Ministry, where the professional stance remains unclear.