Yaya Pink Reveals Joint West Bank Road Project With Merav Michaeli, Sparking Right-Wing Backlash

Yaya Pink, a religious left-wing activist and candidate for the Democrats party in the upcoming Knesset elections, disclosed that during his tenure as CEO of the "Darkenu" movement, he collaborated with then-Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli on a project analyzing roads and junctions in the West Bank. The project assessed whether these routes supported a future political solution or led toward a binational state. Pink described the initiative as critical and linked it to the importance of having Democrats in key government ministries. Michaeli confirmed the project’s existence and responded to right-wing criticism by emphasizing that the ministry prioritized development in the Negev, Galilee, Arava, and Golan, contrasting with the current government’s focus. She clarified that the goal was not to "dry up" any area but to identify which roads should be advanced for the benefit of all citizens and which roads undermine a political settlement and threaten Israel’s future. In response, Finance Minister and Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized Pink and the prospect of a future government including the Democrats, accusing Pink of working to promote a Palestinian state during the Bennett-Liberman-Abbas government. Smotrich warned that a government led by Gadi Eizenkot with Democrats in senior roles would dismantle settlements and establish a "terror state" in Israel’s heart, calling such a government dangerous for Israel.