Chairman of the Finance Committee, MK Moshe Gafni. The committee headed by him approved the transfer of funds to local authorities/image processing, Jonathan Zindel Flash 90
The Finance Committee approved the transfer of NIS 816 million for the Local Authorities section. The budget will be divided according to the following main sections:
and for indemnification of local authorities for property tax discounts in the communities near the Gaza Strip (about NIS 36 million), development grants and a special security grant for the municipality of Sderot and the Gaza envelope (about NIS 76 million in total), reinforcing the current budget of the Arab authorities (about NIS 200 million in accordance with Government Decision 550 to reduce gaps in Arab society), the Druze local authorities in the Galilee and Carmel and the Golan Heights (about NIS 76 million in total).
The budget also includes a beer grant to the city of Jerusalem (about NIS 200 million), budgets for: Katzrin, Harish, accountants, accounting services, dealing with disaster victims, development of public institutions, development of new beaches (about NIS 20 million), development projects in the local authorities (about NIS 77 million), development of authorities in the eastern Negev, economic development in Katzrin and the Golan Heights and Jisar a-Zarqa, operation and maintenance of temporary service centers, Kinneret Cities Association, Development of the Tzeelon beach.
Despite the fact that the budget includes about NIS 200 million that was delayed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which will be transferred to localities in the Arab sector subject to approval of a supervisory mechanism, it turned out that the issue is again causing serious controversy between representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Arab Knesset members.
Tibi: "How did it go from all the authorities to only Arabs?!" /Knesset Spokesperson, Noam Moshkovitz
The departments erupted after an announcement by Omar Rahamim, advisor to the minister of finance, who said: "According to the agreement between the finance minister and the interior minister, regarding NIS 200 million to Arab local authorities, the money will be transferred from the Interior Ministry only after a mechanism for supervising the budgets is arranged."
MK Aida Touma-Suleiman responded: "That's exactly what I warned about, they park and won't transfer the money."
MK Ahmad Tibi: "The Druze authorities are also suffering from the impact of crime, but why are they withholding the money to the Arab authorities for the same reason?"
MK Iman Khatib Yassin added: "These budgets are a basis and a right, you don't need all this fuss to pass them. It's a shame that you have to beg and make all kinds of combinations and efforts, and in the end it will stay there. So we know the address very well."
Rahamim replied: "No one wants to stop money to the Arab authorities, certainly not to the finance minister. There is agreement that they want to reduce crime in Arab society; there may be disagreement about the way. The Minister of Finance, together with the Minister of the Interior, together with the head of the Shin Bet, this is the forum that established a mechanism for everyone's opinion.
MK Toma Suleiman mentioned the decision made by the mayors in response to Smotrich's delay in the funds: "The committee of mayors objected, they said that if there are criteria then it is for all the authorities."
Tibi wondered: "How did it go from all the authorities to only Arabs?!"
The minister's adviser replied: "It was agreed in advance that the 200 million are transferred in advance to the Interior Ministry, and the ministry does not transfer them until a mechanism is created, by government decision or otherwise."
As was written here last week, it is estimated that the funds will eventually be transferred to the Arab authorities in full, even without convening a real oversight mechanism.
- More on the subject:
- Finance Committee
- Moshe Gafni
- Ahmad Tibi
- Aida Touma-Suleiman
