Israel's Government will promote building two new ports

The government will promote the construction of two new ports, implementing a decision from 2007, Transport Minister Yisrael Katz said at the Port2Port Conference in Tel Aviv. He stressed that the new ports would be built in coordination and with the consent of current ports workers, Globes reports.
The workers committees at the Ashdod Port Company Ltd. and Haifa Port Company Ltd., with the support of the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) vehemently oppose the privatization of the new ports.
On another matter, Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce president Uriel Lynn spoke about the decision by the Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) to compel manufacturers to accept a moving peak electricity arrangement, or else pay a seven-fold rate during peak hours. "The harm to businesses is a blow to the general public and the State of Israel as a whole, because we must fully realize that the State of Israel is carried by the business sector."