Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered on Thursday that proceedings be launched to expel Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers’ union, from the Likud party following the strike at Ben Gurion Airport.
“Following the reckless and illegal strike at the airport, which harmed the country’s citizens and caused damage to the economy, Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed that Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Israel Airports Authority workers’ union, be expelled from the Likud," the party said in a statement.
Earlier, Netanyahu warned, “Ben Gurion Airport will remain open and operate as usual. Anyone who stands in the way will be sent home."
Netanyahu’s remarks came amid fierce criticism online of Idan, who is also a member of the Likud Central Committee. The strike caused chaos at the airport, with check-in counters closed and severe disruptions reported in the handling of passengers and luggage.
The airport was closed at 2:00 p.m., while landing and takeoff operations gradually resumed from 3:00 p.m. as the flight schedule was rearranged. The airport is expected to return to full regular operations only overnight.
Channel 12 News reported that the labor action that caused the chaos at the airport had originally been planned for the previous day, with the aim of disrupting Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s flight.
Senior Israel Airports Authority officials said Idan had decided not to disrupt the minister’s flight to Rabat, Morocco, on its original date following the joint tour she conducted at Ben Gurion Airport with Netanyahu.
Idan reportedly believed that embarrassing the Prime Minister under those circumstances would be excessive. However, according to the officials, instructions were given to disrupt the handling of luggage on the minister’s flight. In practice, only a minor delay was recorded, and the flight departed as scheduled.
Idan responded to the allegations: “It would have been better if those senior officials had focused on solving the staffing shortage instead of making assumptions. Tיןד never happened."
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry estimates that the strike at Ben Gurion Airport cost approximately 30 million shekels.
The estimate includes lost fees and charges resulting from canceled flights, lost economic output due to Israelis canceling vacation days, delays in the arrival of goods by air, and a long list of additional factors.