During the High Court hearing, the state representative found it difficult to explain why a bill was not submitted to transfer the budget. • Judge Handel: "Budget transfer - one of the most important functions of the Knesset"
Judge Hayut
Photography:
Oren Ben Hakon - Archive
Supreme Court President Esther Hayut sharply criticized the state in a debate over the postponement of the budget transfer deadline: "The government is in violation of a law."
Hayut made the remarks at a High Court hearing today (Tuesday) in petitions filed by the Movement for Quality of Government and the "National Responsibility" movement on the budget issue. The judges sought to discuss only the issue of abuse of the Basic Law. To postpone the date of its dispersal, the court read in the pleadings and that it is not necessary to deal with them in the course of the hearing.
State Representative Advocate Daniel Marx said at the hearing that the reason he did not pass a budget stemmed from an ongoing political crisis, which she defined as an "exceptional situation." The judges were unconvinced and repeatedly demanded clear answers on the matter.
President Hayut asked Advocate Marx: "Why is the 2020 budget not approved in the king's way?"
Judge Handel added: "How can this be justified from the perspective of the Knesset? Transferring this budget is one of the most important and basic functions of the Knesset."
Judge Handel then asked the state representative: "Why was no bill submitted for the budget transfer?"
Attorney Marx replied, "I have no answer."
President Hayut: "What kind of answer is this? The government is in violation of a law, and my lady has no explanation for this?"
During the hearing, Adv. Gilad Barnea, who represents "National Responsibility", said: "We are at the heart of a constitutional storm in several cases, and we need to know the context in which this case is being conducted.
Corona is indeed being used as an excuse to undermine the democratic regime in the State of Israel.
There is no greater harm than this.
The ability to set priorities and the distribution of funds is taken to the Knesset.
Especially in an emergency like the one we are in.
Transfer the authority to the government.
It is inconceivable.
"Also, the time is not an emergency. There is a government, barely functioning but existing. The epidemic is not at its peak. What is the pressure to make such a change? A billion shekels out of the 11 billion budget are coalition funds. What is the state of emergency that justifies it?"
The head of the economic division of the Movement for the Quality of Government, Adv. Ariel Barzilai, argued before the judges: "Any attempt to circumvent the budget laws stems from the abuse of the Knesset.
That norm is unconstitutional. "
