The state stopped the funding, the contractor didn't get paid – who will pay for the Independence Hall renovation?

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the municipal company 'Eretz Israel Museum Tel Aviv' must pay contractor E. Elias 1.1 million shekels and return retention funds of about half a million shekels for the renovation of Independence Hall, after the Prime Minister's Office halted funding due to allegations of irregularities.

The Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the municipal company 'Eretz Israel Museum Tel Aviv' must pay the contracting company E. Elias 1.1 million shekels for approved accounts and return retention funds of about half a million shekels for its work at Independence Hall, located at 16 Rothschild Street in Tel Aviv. The dispute stems from the Prime Minister's Office halting renovation funding in early 2023 due to allegations of financial irregularities. Independence Hall, where David Ben-Gurion declared the establishment of the state, currently stands as a ruined construction site. Judge Gershon Gontovnik ruled that the museum, which was the party to the contract with the contractor, must pay him, while the accounting between the museum and the state will be clarified separately. The article notes that work has completely stopped and the contractor remains unpaid.

The state stopped the funding, the contractor didn't get paid – who will pay for the Independence Hall renovation?