Only a few weeks after Haim Katz took office as Minister of Tourism, Hotel Association President Avi Nissenkorn announced today (Monday) his resignation from the position.
• Thank us later: the most beautiful places to travel in Israel for all seasons of the year
• Where is Israel located?
The list of the most powerful passports in the world is revealed
Since Katz took office, the relationship between him and Nissenkorn was not good, his words were already known from the moment Katz started his position.
In the letter Nissenkorn published, he wrote: "A year and a quarter ago I was elected to the position of president of the hotel association. I found a fascinating, professional and challenging industry with significant growth potential. I met amazing hoteliers and dedicated people. I believe in the importance of the industry and the great potential that lies in it."
"Recently there was a blatant demand from the Minister of Tourism, in talks with senior officials in the industry, that I finish my term, and that if I don't, this will have consequences for the cooperation with the Ministry," added the Minister of Justice and former member of the Knesset.
"This demand stems from the fact that in my position as chairman of the Knesset committee, I did not support granting immunity to Minister Katz.
It will now be clarified that in my view, I was right in this position, materially and legally, a position which, among other things, relied on the legal advice to the Knesset and the legal advice to the government.
In any case, the political pressures and foreign considerations are crossing a red line.
This conduct is part of a major blackout that blackens Israeli society, and threatens its moral and democratic existence."
"I decided not to allow the hotel industry, which is dear to my heart, to be taken hostage by foreign considerations, and I decided to announce the end of my position at the end of this month," concluded the outgoing president of the hotel association, who was elected to the position in October 2021.
Haim Katz at the cabinet meeting, about two weeks ago, photo: Olivier Fitosi - Flash90
At the moment it is not yet known who will replace Nissenkorn in the position.
The person who held the position before him was Amir Hayek, who currently serves as Israel's ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, one of the most important positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The hoteliers accepted Nissenkorn's message with sadness, and wrote to him in response: "We accepted with great sadness your decision to end your position as president of the association. Under the circumstances, we made it clear to you that we will support any decision you make. Your decision, as you honestly and sincerely told us, stems from a genuine concern for the industry and responsibility for its future in general , and especially after the Corona crisis - the greatest crisis we have ever known. We wish to salute the integrity, the deep commitment and the nobility that you demonstrate in such a difficult decision. These are not easy moments for us. For us you were the right man in the right place and for that we are deeply grateful. Our appreciation and appreciation is joined by the 450 hotels that are members of the association The national hotels, who salute you and say thank you from the bottom of their hearts."
The Ministry of Tourism responded: "It has nothing to do with the immunity discussion, but with the very basic fact for which we saw no room for cooperation - which is the lack of trust in anyone and Nissenkorn's history of betrayals in his partners. We do not work with people who do not respect their words and have proven in every partnership in the past that they cannot be trusted." .
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us