Israel – The Israeli company operating the port of Eilat intends to lay off 50% of port workers following a significant decline in activity in light of the threat resulting from Houthi attacks.
Activity in the port of Eilat decreased significantly as a result of the strikes directed by the Ansar al-Houthi group on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, in addition to direct bombardment of sites in the city of Eilat.
The Knesset Economic Committee threatened the operating company to regain ownership of the southern port for the benefit of the state, once morest the backdrop of threats to expel port workers.
Committee Chairman David Bitan said: “If the port administration does not negotiate with the workers regarding dismissal, it will be necessary to demand the return of the aid money and the cancellation of the subsidy it received during the war” that Israel has waged on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas movement and Palestinian factions launched Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” on October 7 last. .
The Knesset Economic Committee recommended not studying the option of extending the concession to the company.
The operating company intends to lay off 60 employees out of 120.
Israeli Member of the Knesset, Ofer Cassif, said that the operating company “is exploiting the state of war to lay off employees with the aim of achieving higher profits.”
Knesset member Yasmin Friedman said: “The city of Eilat is burning… The city hosted an insane number of people evacuated (from the Gaza envelope) without the municipality receiving assistance, and their livelihoods were damaged and they want to harm it once more. Who wants to do that? Companies that make millions… Where is the responsibility for the largest companies that own millions… Where is the responsibility for extending a hand in the country’s difficult hour?
Knesset member Moshe Bessal said that the state should bear responsibility, not the private businessman.
The Houthis are launching continuous attacks on the city of Eilat, saying that they come in support of the Palestinians in Gaza, and that they will stop these attacks as soon as a ceasefire is declared in the Strip.
The city is also subjected to other attacks, most likely carried out by the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” the most recent of which was on Sunday when a drone targeted the military naval base in Eilat.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that the attack was “Iranian-directed,” describing it as “extremely dangerous.”
Source: Yedioth Ahronoth
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2024-04-03 21:12:50
