Accountant General Announces Budget Office for Strategic Affairs Will Cut 60% • Minister Arden Alerts: "The cut will give BDS an advantage"

• "A significant advantage for BDS. Arden

ח A sharp confrontation between Minister Gilad Arden and the Treasury Accountant General, Roni Hezekiah, in light of the Treasury's intention to cut more than half the budget for the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.

"Israel Today" learned that a few days ago, the Accountant General announced that the ministry's budget, which is in charge of fighting de-legitimization against Israel, would be reduced by 60% over the previous year. Instead of NIS 96 million in 2019, the Treasury decided to allocate it to only 39 million in 2020. Given the volume of activity last year, the ministry has already made commitments of NIS 74 million for 2020, in light of the Treasury's request to reduce it by 2020.

In an angry letter to the Accountant General, which reached Israel today, Arden writes that "the Ministry of Strategic Issues has for the past four years been leading the fight in the delegitimization and boycott campaign against the State of Israel, under the Political Security Cabinet decision.
The ministry has succeeded in narrowing down and reducing the activities of the boycott and financing organizations through exposing their connections to terrorism and their anti-Semitic character.

It is not for the sake of delegitimization that they themselves describe 2019 as one of their tough years, blaming the firm for strategic issues that are at the forefront of their activities. This budget (NIS 39 million for 2020) means eliminating many activities for which pro-Israeli suppliers and organizations have long been committed, under agreements signed during 2019-2018. In this situation, the ministry has no ability to meet the challenges ahead in the coming year, some of which will be detailed later. "

The boycott will only intensify

Arden also emphasizes that "the significant budget cut in this sensitive period poses a strategic risk to Israel in the face of urgent international challenges. Campaigns for branding Israel as an "apartheid state. The budget cut will put the firm on the cusp of complete functional paralysis and will give a dramatic advantage to delegitimization and BDS," Arden warns.

The Office of Strategic Affairs emphasizes that precisely in light of Trump's peace plan, and the intention to apply Israel's sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, boycott efforts against Israel are expected to increase significantly in the near future. In addition, the Hague Tribunal intends to launch an investigation against Israel as a huge challenge facing Israel, as this will encourage
Boycotts challenge Israel to other legal arenas in various parts of the world.

Lack of budget

The Finance Ministry said that "in light of the provisions of Section 3B of the Basic State Law, which governs the operation of the government in a year without a budget, the government may spend 1/12 of the state budget for 2019. This is a limited expenditure that allows, in addition to the expenditure required by law, Spend only essential and urgent expenses. "