Zeibart launches fierce attack on the Transport Ministry over Bnei Brak transit
Bnei Brak was shaken by a sharp attack from Hanoch Zeibart, who accused the Transport Ministry of “abuse and contempt for the ultra-Orthodox public.” Officials at the ministry struck back in a conversation with Kikar HaShabbat: “He should explain why he is preventing the residents from establishing a central bus station and leaving them to wait in the sun and the rain, while we invested 1 billion shekels in a new bridge in the city.”
The mayor of Bnei Brak launched a direct attack on the Transport Ministry during a closed study day held for city employees, focusing on the ministry’s handling of transportation solutions on Saturday nights in the city. In exclusive footage obtained by Kikar HaShabbat, an angry Zeibart is seen saying: “The way people are standing on Rabbi Akiva Street, and parents are dragging children and strollers all the way to the edge of the city, this is complete abuse. The Transport Ministry is simply dumping the responsibility on the municipality. There is nothing here except malice and contempt for the ultra-Orthodox public. This is one of the greatest brazen acts there is.”
The mayor said he had contacted the Transport Ministry before Passover, demanding that buses resume traveling on Hazon Ish Street and Ezra Street, but encountered indifference: “I personally looked for the Transport Ministry’s director general, he promised to get back to me, and he has not returned my call to this day. They simply want to belittle us and harm us.”
The Transport Ministry responds: “Residents wait in the sun and rain”
The mayor’s harsh response did not go unanswered, and the Transport Ministry quickly fired back, directing blame toward the mayor’s office. Sources in the Transport Ministry told Kikar HaShabbat: “Instead of attacking, he should explain why the Bnei Brak municipality is preventing its residents from establishing a central bus station. This may be the only city with so many public transport users that does not have a central bus station. The buses are stuck in traffic on the city’s narrow streets, and residents are forced to wait in the scorching sun and the pouring rain.”
The source also attacked the mayor’s conduct, while presenting the government’s investment figures in the city: “The state invested more than 1 billion shekels in the Harling Bridge, which Zeibart inaugurated two weeks ago, alongside transport reinforcements every Friday and Motzaei Shabbat. Zeibart talks about contempt? He should explain why he opposes the establishment of a central bus station that will serve the city’s residents.”
