Parties to Receive Millions More in State Funding Due to Election Law Loopholes
Two Israeli political factions, National Unity led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Otzma Yehudit led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, are set to receive an additional 15 million shekels (approximately $4 million USD) from state coffers. This comes as a result of how their electoral lists were structured for the upcoming 26th Knesset elections, exploiting existing laws on election and party financing.
Of the total sum, National Unity is expected to receive around 9 million shekels, while Otzma Yehudit anticipates about 6 million shekels. The financing system allows registered parties to receive 1.835 million shekels for each Knesset member, plus an additional 1.835 million shekel funding unit. Furthermore, ongoing monthly party funding provides approximately 100,000 shekels per Knesset member and an additional 100,000 shekels per faction.
The loophole allows a single political slate to include representatives formally registered under different parties. While these representatives may function as a unified faction, each registered party can claim separate funding. In this case, National Unity operates within the Likud list, and "Eretz Israel Shelanu" within Otzma Yehudit, but they are treated as distinct entities for funding purposes.
For National Unity, this structure is projected to yield an extra 9 million shekels. This includes an advance payment of nearly 5.9 million shekels and additional monthly funding of about 100,000 shekels per month for the faction itself over a four-and-a-half-year term. Similarly, Otzma Yehudit, by including "Eretz Israel Shelanu" as a separate registered party, is expected to gain an additional 6 million shekels.
While these maneuvers are legal under current legislation, they highlight how the party financing system can be leveraged to increase public funding by utilizing multiple registered parties within a single political framework. The article questions the justification for funding these entities separately when they operate under a unified leadership, suggesting that changes to the system could save significant public funds.
