Pinehas Idan Responds to Netanyahu After Being Expelled from Likud Over Ben Gurion Airport Chaos

Pinehas Idan, chairman of the Airport Authority workers' committee, responded on Friday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to expel him from the Likud party following the severe disruptions at Ben Gurion Airport the previous day. Idan stated, "I was in Likud before Bibi and I will remain after Bibi," downplaying the significance of his expulsion by saying, "What does being a Likud central committee member mean? Nothing."

The chaos at Ben Gurion Airport on Thursday involved a complete shutdown of check-in counters and a temporary freeze on landings, causing widespread flight delays. The Airport Authority and the workers' committee blamed each other for the crisis. The Authority accused the workers of an illegal strike during peak summer travel, harming tens of thousands of passengers. Conversely, the workers' committee cited a severe manpower shortage, which they had repeatedly warned the management about.

Idan rejected claims that the workers initiated the shutdown, explaining that the morning shift was supposed to end at 11:00 a.m., but workers were exhausted and unable to continue for 12 hours. He said the afternoon shift was scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m., and the committee requested to advance it by two hours to avoid disruption. "If they had done that, there would have been no strike," he said, adding, "We did not stop any flights."

Netanyahu announced Idan's expulsion from Likud, stating it was due to the "wild and illegal strike at the airport that harmed the citizens and damaged the economy." Idan warned that without recruiting more workers, the airport could face further crises, especially during the upcoming holidays and August. "We will not initiate anything, but if they fail to recruit workers, we will not get through the holidays or August peacefully," he cautioned.