Mud-slinging over the Finance Committee - and northern residents are the ones losing out

The coalition and opposition are clashing over tomorrow's Finance Committee session, which the Knesset's legal adviser, Adv. Sagit Afik, approved during the recess. The coalition claims the opposition is blocking the northern protection budget, while the opposition accuses the coalition of putting only coalition funds to a vote, including 270 million shekels for Haredi education, 124 million for Orit Strock's ministry, and 120 million for religious services, while the protection budget, totaling nearly a billion shekels, remains off the agenda.

The coalition and opposition are clashing over tomorrow's (Tuesday) Finance Committee session, which the Knesset's legal adviser, Adv. Sagit Afik, unusually approved during the recess. Afik approved convening the committee to transfer another ~500 million shekels in coalition funds, and preferred to approve six requests over twelve additional ones that Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana requested. The decision came after the previous committee discussion dispersed without votes due to a dispute between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the Haredi parties. The political battle focuses on the northern settlement protection budget, totaling nearly a billion shekels, including 669.4 million shekels in expenditure and another 330 million in commitment authorization. The money is intended for implementing the government decision to protect settlements within 0-9 km from the Lebanon border, including increasing grants for building safe rooms. The coalition claims the opposition is delaying the request in the agreements committee, while the opposition claims the coalition chose to put only coalition funds to a vote, including 270 million for Haredi education, 124 million for Orit Strock's ministry, and 120 million for religious services. MK Merav Ben Ari, opposition coordinator, attacked committee chairman Hanoch Milwidsky for not putting the northern budget on the agenda. Milwidsky responded: "I say to the opposition - there are things you don't do politics on. Let's together ensure the protection of the north, and now." Thus, tomorrow the committee is expected to discuss transferring about half a billion shekels in coalition funds, while the protection request for the north is not on the agenda.