In the background of the storm against the appointment of a stronghold:
the minister for social equality, Merav Cohen (Yesh Atid) will pour millions of shekels into the organizations of the gay community, just before the swearing in of the new government.
The minister said in response: "Not a political move but saving lives."
Last night Cohen approved an allocation of NIS 6.5 million for the organizations of the gay community.
Thus, after three million shekels were allocated last week for religious LGBT organizations, last night the Minister of Social Equality Merav Cohen approved the injection of an additional 3.5 million shekels.
2 million NIS will be transferred to the Association for the LGBT and about 1.5 million additional shekels will be transferred to support organizations related to the transgender community in Israel.
According to sources privy to the details, the reason the funds were allocated only now stems from headquarters work that lasted for many months and bureaucratic considerations.
Officials with whom we spoke at the Ministry of Social Equality add that "there is no coercion of any kind regarding the transfer of the budgets, and that the distribution of the funds was carried out on the basis of a needs mapping that was conducted and within the framework of which places were identified where help and guidance is needed for those who encountered hardship."
Will the transfer of the budgets tie the hands of the emerging government?
MK Avi Maoz on the background of the Pride Parade (for illustration), photo: Naama Stern, Oren Ben Hakon
The allocated funds came by virtue of an authority received by the Ministry of Social Equality as part of a decision of the Aliyah government published for the first time in Israel today last July.
The budgetary engagements that have been approved by the relevant legal departments are carried out using the "tender exemption" method.
They arrive in the middle of the coalition negotiations with parties whose positions on these issues are completely different from those of the outgoing government and some of them are even averse to supporting the gay community.
Also, the signing of the coalition agreement between the Likud party and Noam signed an agreement.
According to the agreement, some of the powers of the Ministry of Education will be transferred to MK Avi Maoz and an authority for national-Jewish identity will be established in the Prime Minister's Office headed by him. In addition, Maoz will also be responsible for the organization "Nativ" and other units.
The apparent appointment sparked outrage among many due to Maoz's statements against the gay community and his call to "act to cancel the pride parade".
In response, several heads of authorities even announced that they would not cooperate with the activities of Maoz, which is expected to receive the powers of the unit for external programs in the Ministry of Education.
Likud promised that the rights of the gay community would not be harmed, Ohana at the Pride Parade in Jerusalem (Archive),
As you may recall, last week Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu was interviewed in English and clarified that the gay community would not be harmed, after he said similar things the day after receiving the mandate from the President of the country.
Social Equality Minister Merav Cohen said in response:
"The funds are allocated after several months of staff work which we carried out by virtue of the ministry's authority towards the LGBT population in Israel.
It's about saving lives"
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