New Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar Approves 19 Municipal Bylaws
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
New Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar approved 19 long-delayed municipal bylaws in his first meeting. He also faces a Supreme Court deadline to decide on conditioning property tax discounts for Haredi couples on their military service status. Sa'ar's appointment follows a vacancy and raises questions about potential political pressure on Haredi parties during coalition talks.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar approved 19 municipal bylaws on his first day.
- The Supreme Court ordered Sa'ar to decide on Haredi Arnona tax discounts within 30 days.
- Arnona discounts for young Haredi couples may be conditioned on military service status.
- Sa'ar's appointment fills a vacant Interior Ministry post after months without a minister.
- The timing of the appointment may be linked to coalition talks and political pressure.
Newly appointed Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who also serves as Foreign Minister, signed off on 19 municipal bylaws from various local authorities on Thursday morning. The approval of these bylaws had been significantly delayed at the ministry. Sa'ar's action took place during his first working meeting at the Interior Ministry, attended by Director-General Israel Ozen and senior ministry officials. During the meeting, urgent issues requiring decisions were reviewed, and Sa'ar instructed that professional meetings be held in the coming days to discuss these critical matters.
This move comes just hours after the Supreme Court ordered Sa'ar, within 30 days, to decide on conditioning property tax (Arnona) discounts for young Haredi couples on their military service status. The court, led by Deputy President Noam Sohlberg and including Justices Dafna Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Vilner, and Ofer Groskopf, ruled that the Interior Minister must determine if and how to amend the Arnona discount regulations to make eligibility conditional on resolving their status with military authorities. The judges noted that as Sa'ar was only appointed that day, they were extending a previous deadline from April 26, 2026, for his decision.
Sa'ar's appointment as Interior Minister follows a long period without a minister in the role, since the resignation of Moshe Arbel. The original deadline set by the Supreme Court for a decision on the Haredi Arnona discounts passed during this interim period. Despite the court's demands and Netanyahu's commitment to appoint an Interior Minister before the elections, the position remained vacant. However, following the elections and amid coalition talks between the Haredi parties and the change bloc, Netanyahu decided to appoint a minister. This timing raises political questions about whether Netanyahu is attempting to pressure the Haredi factions during their negotiations with the change bloc, or if it is a coincidental appointment to fill the vacant ministry role, potentially impacting political negotiations.
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