The fake and its brokenness: Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni addressed MK Orit Farkas Hacohen at a Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday and in effect approved Israel Hayom's publication according to which he and the Finance Minister are freezing transfers to evacuees from coalition funds.
Gafni, who denied the publication on Sunday, said the following wonderful things today: "I saw that you issued a statement against me, that I do not bring forwards regarding the evacuees and war issues. The finance minister asked me not to bring it, I can bring it today."
A few days ago, after the publication that the finance minister was freezing the transfer of coalition funds for the benefit of the evacuees of the envelope, Smotrich spoke out against Israel Hayom and in a tweet accused it of "a false and inciting campaign that harms the unity of the people and the war against Hamas." Today it turns out that the publication in Israel Hayom was real and accurate.
It is a shame that Israel Hayom is joining the false and inciting campaign that harms the unity of the people and the war to destroy Hamas-ISIS. There is no need for war or evacuees that is delayed due to lack of budget. All budgets are available to support the war. Any other statement is a complete lie. pic.twitter.com/LIuV8IMw6T
— Bezalel Smotrich (@bezalelsm) November 5, 2023
Omer Rahamim, advisor to the minister of finance, tried to save the situation from the confession of the committee chairman, and tried to say that some of the funds were transferred for war purposes anyway, but did not contradict Gafni's admission that the coalition funds were frozen and not transferred.
"It came up here in previous discussions, even before the war, this world called coalition money, they asked why some go there and some don't. I want to say what things are happening today in the conduct of the war from this money, which is called coalition quotation marks, a significant part of the educational response in the evacuated hotels comes from coalition money, the establishment of temporary neighborhoods of the evacuees, to which we are all obligated to provide a response as quickly as possible, must happen from the funds of the Jewish Brigade, most of which is from this money."
Rachamim added, "The Finance Minister explicitly instructed that we find all the sources, approve a budget, transfer a large sum that will meet all needs, including Budget 23, and if necessary, amend Budget 24. There is a discussion tonight with the Minister of Finance about the sources and uses that adapt the funds to the situation, we will come here to the committee with all the changes, I hope next week. We will see what changes, what remains, we will conduct the discussion in a professional and relevant manner. We need to change our entire budget system, the priorities are set here in the room, and it will be approved here in the committee."
MK Vladimir Belyak said, "Three weeks ago I wrote to the Finance Minister and the committee chairman, asking to know the amount of coalition agreements that as of October 3 had not yet been allocated and had not yet been implemented, so far I have not received a response. It has become a state secret. I said that it is not enough to stop and freeze these agreements, but to release and direct these agreements to the needs of the front and the needs of the home front."
MK Orit Farkas Hacohen, who raised the issue, said: "I am glad that we are receiving a first response to the issue, that the work of calculating the needs has not yet been done, which makes this fact take into account that we have more unnecessary ministers and deputy ministers, unnecessary ministries and millions of shekels to the Ministry of National Missions, transfers here in the amount of over NIS 1 billion, start moving, all the budgets for Avrahim is not the role of the funds."
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