Citizen Rights Group Slams Government Budget Cuts for Arab Community

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) stated that the government's response to a petition filed with the Supreme Court reveals a serious flaw in its decision to cut approximately half a billion shekels from the five-year plan budgets for the Arab community. These funds were intended for development but are now slated to be transferred to the police and the Shin Bet security agency.

In its filing to the court on Wednesday, ACRI argued that the state's response "reinforces its claims regarding the illegality of the decision." The organization is demanding an urgent interim order to halt the transfer of funds and the implementation of the decision until the petition is resolved. ACRI highlighted that professional bodies had previously decided in June not to touch these five-year plan budgets after reviewing data and consulting relevant ministries. However, just two weeks later, under the Prime Minister's direction, the government proceeded with the cuts without new data justifying the change in position.

ACRI emphasized that the targeted funds are allocated for existing economic and social development projects, not as unused surplus. Interfering with them, the group warned, will deepen existing gaps and discrimination against the Arab community. Regarding the Shin Bet's involvement in combating civilian crime, ACRI asserted that this falls outside its legal mandate and cautioned against subjecting Arab citizens to a secret security agency, which would establish separate law enforcement systems for Jews and Arabs.

The request for an interim order follows the government's notification on October 26 that the budget transfer request had been sent to the Knesset Finance Committee for approval. This raises fears that the decision could be implemented before the petition is decided, causing irreparable damage. This action is part of a larger petition filed by ACRI in partnership with the National Committee of Heads of Arab Local Authorities, and the "Itach (We)」 and "Mekh-Mekh" associations.

Lawyers Hagar Shechter and Nitzan Ilani from ACRI stated, "On its last day, and before the dissolution of the Knesset, the outgoing government decided to cut budgets allocated for achieving equality, contrary to the recommendations of professional bodies and without a convincing justification." They added, "Instead of addressing crime, it is pushing towards establishing two separate law enforcement systems, one for Jews and one for Arabs. We hope the court recognizes the severity of this step and issues an interim order to stop its implementation."