🕑 Published: September 10, 2026 · 11:41 AM Israel time
🏛️ LAND AUTHORITY LEADERSHIP DISPUTE: SMOTRICH ALLEGES CORRUPTION, SEEKS LAND AND PLANNING CONTROL: Housing Minister Haim Katz reportedly summoned acting Israel Land Authority head Yehuda Eliyahu to a pre-dismissal hearing after only a few months in office, drawing sharp criticism from Likud ministers.
A statement defending Eliyahu said Prime Minister Netanyahu had approved his appointment, emphasized the authority’s national work in the Galilee and Negev, and declared that he would not be dismissed.
Katz’s office denied that Eliyahu had been summoned to a pre-dismissal hearing or that the hearing concerned appointments he had been asked to make. Katz said he had received serious allegations of mismanagement, poor interpersonal relations and the exclusion of women, raising questions about Eliyahu’s suitability to lead the authority. He also accused Eliyahu of failing to cooperate on expanding and adapting rights and entitlements for career service members and their families.
Katz said the allegations would be examined at a hearing “with an open mind and in good faith,” following proper administrative procedures. If no understanding were reached, he would seek an interim director to advance Jewish settlement in the Negev and Galilee and implement essential staffing and public-service reforms. He also recalled his role among the leaders of the revolt against the Disengagement.
Eliyahu accused Katz of trying to interfere with his work and promote his own people, alleging that this was the reason Katz wanted to dismiss him.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended Eliyahu, accusing party-membership brokers, workers’ committees and political operatives of spreading lies and publicly attacking him amid what he described as “rot and corruption.” His remarks were presented as an attack on Katz, although he did not explicitly name him.
Smotrich described Eliyahu as an upright professional and committed ideologue without ego or personal interests, praising his management skills, sensitivity and modesty.
Invoking the principle that Yom Kippur does not atone for wrongs against another person until the offender makes amends, Smotrich declared: “There will be no forgiveness and no pardon. Neither on Yom Kippur nor after the elections.”
Smotrich said his party would demand responsibility for the ILA and the Planning Administration in the next term to root out alleged corruption by political operatives and advance the bodies’ Zionist work. He described this as critical to strengthening the Jewish presence in the Negev and Galilee, supporting the economy and lowering housing costs.
📰 LIKUD ALLEGES FOREIGN ELECTION INTERFERENCE; DERMER DENIES REPORTED UAE CONVERSATION
Likud demanded a criminal investigation into Shlomi Eldar, Ruth Yuval, Haaretz, Yair Golan and the Democrats party over suspected coordination with foreign actors.
The demand follows a Haaretz report concerning an alleged conversation between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed before October 7. Likud alleged that UAE-based senior Palestinian figure Mohammed Dahlan was behind the report, which it described as false.
The party claimed Dahlan had formed a joint electoral list with Hamas for Palestinian Authority elections and sought to replace Netanyahu’s right-wing government with a government comprising Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Lieberman and the Arab parties. According to Likud’s allegation, Dahlan believes such a government would withdraw from Gaza and hand him control of the territory.
Likud further alleged that Eldar received payment from a left-wing nonprofit linked to Golan’s Democrats party to spread the allegation. It also claimed that Golan and Ronen Bar secretly visited the UAE about two months ago and questioned whether that visit was connected to the Haaretz report. These accusations and the suggested connection were not substantiated in the supplied material.
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