About NIS 1 billion will be cut from the Ministry of Public Security's budget • "Concern about canceling the Temple Mount security project and freezing construction of prisons" • Arden: "Finance must give us priority"

• Cops and reports. Registered mail in million NIS a year // Photo: Ami Shuman

The Ministry of Public Security held an emergency hearing yesterday (Tuesday) in which it was decided to cut NIS 1 billion from the ministry's budget. This is due to the political crisis and the fear that the state budget will not be approved in the current Knesset session. This goes a long way: eliminating planned projects in the police, the fire department and the prison service. Israel Today has learned that among the measures discussed - canceling traffic reports to citizens by registered mail costing NIS 1 million a year, and canceling the Temple Mount security project decided by the Cabinet.

Arden on escalation in the south: "Resuming harm to terrorist organizations" // Photo: Ami Shamir

The previous year's budget

As there is no budget, the Accountant General has informed all government offices starting January 1, that all government offices will run according to the previous year's budget. The Accountant General's statement also states that any financial expenditure exceeding NIS 50,000 requires advance approval, which is expected to severely limit the ability to undertake new projects and new engagements by the government ministries.

In light of these, yesterday the Minister of Public Security Gilad Arden held a discussion with all the ministries, discussing the possible cuts in the bodies under his responsibility.

Specifications that come to us indicate that the cuts to the prison service include cancellation of new prison and wing construction projects, which are obliged by the High Court's decision to expand the prison's living space. Drugs and telephones It was also decided to freeze the upgrading of the prisoners' electronic surveillance system by electronic handcuffs and not to expand them.Another step is to freeze the project of placing cell barriers in prisons where security prisoners are imprisoned.

Police will have to deal with freezing plans in the Arab sector, including building new police stations in localities as planned, freezing a webcam deployment plan for all police officers, freezing traffic reports to citizens by registered mail, and freezing security of foreign missions. In addition, the Temple Mount security project, on which the Cabinet was directed, will be halted, and funding for the securing of educational institutions in kindergartens will be stopped.

Fire services call for citizens: Install smoke detectors // Photo: Fire and Rescue spokes

"Injury to personal security"

The fire department will have to deal with the freezing of new fire stations in the Arab sector, and damage to the readiness to operate the light rail in Gush Dan.

Officials at the Ministry of Public Security have warned that the cut has "broad implications and will significantly harm Israeli citizens and current security," in their own language. Minister Arden demanded from the Ministry of Finance yesterday to give his office "priority and find an immediate solution that will allow the continuation of security projects".

The ministry noted that even if a government is formed in the coming days, there will still not be enough time to approve the state budget by the end of the year. Therefore, they say, even in the optimistic case where a government will eventually be established, "the ministries will be forced to operate in the limited format in the first months of 2020".