Masaawa Center Report: Welfare Ministry Spent Only 25% of Arab Community Budget
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
A Masaawa Center report found the Ministry of Social Affairs spent only 88.5 million shekels, or 25%, of the 369 million allocated for Arab community welfare between 2022-2024. Significant underspending occurred in construction projects, with only 5.8% of 2023 funds utilized. While some programs saw full spending, overall investment lagged behind targets due to funding shortfalls and implementation barriers. The report calls for addressing these issues to improve welfare services.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ministry of Social Affairs spent only 25% of 369 million shekels allocated for Arab community welfare from 2022-2024.
- Construction projects for welfare services saw only 5.8% of 2023 funds utilized, a significant shortfall.
- Youth and domestic violence programs fully utilized their allocated budgets, showing varied implementation success.
- Overall spending fluctuated and remained far below the annual investment target for the five-year welfare plan.
- Report cites bureaucratic delays, staff shortages, and local authority issues as key implementation barriers.
A report by the Masaawa Center's Socio-Economic Unit reveals that the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services spent only about 88.5 million shekels between 2022 and 2024 on reducing welfare gaps in the Arab community. This represents only one-quarter of the 369 million shekels allocated by government decision 550 for this purpose. The report, based on freedom of information requests, indicates that the ministry initially allocated only 55.6% of the planned budget, totaling approximately 205 million shekels. Actual spending then reached only about 43% of these reduced allocations, highlighting a dual problem of underfunding and inefficient use of available funds.
The report specifically points to significant delays in construction projects needed for welfare services. In 2023, the ministry allocated 17.5 million shekels for building facilities, but only spent about 1.18 million shekels, a mere 5.8% execution rate. This follows a similar pattern in 2022, when only 28.5% of the 12.12 million shekels allocated for construction was spent. The report notes that information on 2024-2025 construction spending is unavailable.
In contrast, other programs showed full budget utilization. Youth programs spent their entire 5 million shekel allocation in both 2022 and 2023, and domestic violence treatment programs utilized their full 12.5 million shekel budget in 2023. This disparity suggests that implementation challenges vary across different areas, with construction requiring specific solutions.
Overall spending on welfare programs, including construction, fluctuated, rising from 23.7 million shekels in 2022 to 41.7 million in 2023, then dropping to about 23 million in 2024. These figures remain far below the average annual investment target of 123 million shekels needed to meet the five-year plan's 615 million shekel goal.
The Masaawa Center attributes the shortcomings to issues within the ministry's coordination teams, local welfare departments, a lack of professional staff, and bureaucratic delays. Difficulties faced by local authorities, including election periods and matching fund requirements, also contribute. While 2025 budgets show an increase, the report stresses that increased allocations alone are insufficient without addressing these implementation barriers to effectively close welfare service gaps in the Arab community.
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