In the State of Israel, ministers are awarded a special state status, which is reflected in the fiel of transportation by a movement from a private vehicle to a official state vehicle, which is accompanied by a convoy (the size of which can range from two vehicles to five or even more in exceptional cases). This is due to symbolic reasons, of respect for members of the government, but mainly for security reasons – in the framework of the “Protective Unit” of the Prime Minister’s Office, which is responsible for the security of Israeli ministers in Israel and abroad. The unit was established about a decade ago, after the responsibility was in the hands of Shin Bet officials in the prior decade – after the murder of Rehavam Ze’evi by Palestinian terrorists in October 2001. It is true – during the 20th century, Israeli ministers did not have, or need, state protection.
In a very unusual coincidence, in two places in Israel, traffic accidents related to ministerial convoys took place within a day. The first occurred in the city of Ramla, where National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the scene of an terror attack in the city in which a young woman was injured. The minister’s car crossed a red-light intersection in a relatively slow and secure manner, but a vehicle that reached the junction at a green light did not notice it and hit the minister’s car from the side. The minister’s car flipped over, and Ben-Gvir was lightly wounded – and so were his driver, his security guard, and the driver of the other vehicle. They were all taken to the hospital before Shabbat.
The second accident took place in Jerusalem, in the Ramot neighbourhood, when Chaim Biton of the Shas Party (who serves as a minister in the Ministry of Education) hosted his parents at his home for Shabbat; on Saturday night he sent his parents to their home using his governmental car, which got into a car accident with a bus. The minister’s father was seriously injured, and two other people were moderately injured. The details of the accident are still under government investigation.
Of course, we should be happy that ministers in the government were not harmed by road accidents, but at the same time this sends a message to the residents of Israel – how the importance of maintaining the traffic rules in the road is relevant for everyone, regardless of status, location, or role – and they should be kept to the maximum extent. We wish all the wounded good health, and a happy holiday.
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