Employee Union chairman says inspectors will not return to Bnei Brak without security - report

The State Employees Union chairman, Ofir Alkalay, has stated that Tax Authority workers will not resume operations in Bnei Brak until their safety is definitively guaranteed. This stance follows an attack on Tax Authority employees by a mob in the city on July 16.

Despite a meeting between Tax Authority Director Shay Aharonovich and Bnei Brak Mayor Hanoch Zeibert, where the authority announced operations would resume, Alkalay expressed skepticism. He noted that union representatives were not present at the meeting and doubted that any assurances would adequately protect the workers. "A publicized meeting with the mayor still does not guarantee the safety of Tax Authority employees," Alkalay said, warning that another attack could occur imminently.

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There is no place for violence in the city of Torah and Hasidism, whose ways are ways of pleasantness.

Mayor Zeibert, who initially remained silent on the attacks, issued a statement after the meeting, asserting that violence has no place in the city and that public employees perform their duties faithfully. However, Alkalay insisted that employees would not return until clear safety measures were implemented.

Further complicating the situation, reports obtained by Ynet suggest the attack was premeditated. Residents reportedly received a recorded warning via a telephone hotline shortly before the employees entered the neighborhood, indicating a deliberate act against the Tax Authority staff.

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A publicized meeting with the mayor still does not guarantee the safety of Tax Authority employees.