Following an investigative exposé aired on Channel 14 News and the nationwide public outrage that ensued, the municipal bus stop sign in the local council of Jatt bearing the name of arch-murderer Yasser Arafat has been officially taken down. Member of Knesset Yitzhak Kroizer (Otzma Yehudit), Chairman of the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, arrived on-site in person to verify that the offensive signs were completely removed.
The scandal was initially uncovered and broadcast on Channel 14’s “Afternoon Diary” (Yoman Tzohorayim), sparking widespread backlash. It emerged that the bus station in the heart of the Sharon plain council was established while commemorating Arafat’s name—in direct contravention of an explicit 2017 state directive prohibiting his memorialization across Israeli public spaces, and completely contradicting official statutory street and transit registries.
After exposing the administrative failure, MK Kroizer issued an uncompromising ultimatum to regional authorities, pledging to act decisively to eradicate the disgrace. Following the expiration of the designated timeframe, Kroizer conducted an oversight inspection on the ground to personally confirm that the signs had been dismantled and that the commemoration of the terrorist leader was eliminated from central Israel. During his visit to the site, MK Kroizer affirmed his uncompromising stance: “We will not allow the commemoration of terrorists and mass-murderers in any corner of the State of Israel.” The removal of the sign closes the loop on a provocative incident that provoked profound public condemnation across Israeli society.