Finance Ministry Rebukes Knesset Legal Advisor Over Allegations of Public Servant Incitement

The Budget Department of Israel's Finance Ministry issued a sharp response on Wednesday to Knesset Legal Advisor Attorney Shagit Afik, following her serious accusations against ministry officials. The letter, signed by Deputy Budget Director Tamar Levi-Bona, accused Afik of inappropriate interference and fostering a hostile atmosphere toward public servants. Levi-Bona wrote, "We received your letter with astonishment. First, the Knesset's involvement in inter-ministerial relations is unclear. Second, your claims are inaccurate at best and border on incitement against public employees." She expressed disappointment that Afik joined what she described as a troubling wave of criticism against the Budget Department staff, noting Afik had previously maintained respectful relations with professionals.

The dispute centers on a 7 million shekel budget overrun by a newly established government authority. The Finance Ministry explained that due to the unit's new and evolving nature, budget execution is volatile and difficult to predict, with the overrun resulting from prior commitments coming due. The Budget Department acted promptly upon discovering the overrun, requesting additional budget coverage from the Knesset Finance Committee to avoid increasing the deficit. However, nearly two months after the request, no committee discussion has occurred, reportedly due to the committee legal advisor's stance.

The letter emphasized that any proposal to continue funding the authority must fully cover the budget overrun, rejecting any government attempts to bypass this requirement. The ministry stressed that budget overruns are rare, isolated incidents and not standard practice. Meanwhile, a solution has been found to enable budget transfers to the authority to maintain its operations despite disagreements.

Levi-Bona concluded by urging a return to respectful and cooperative dialogue, highlighting the ministry's consistent efforts to work collaboratively with Afik and her team. Copies of the letter were sent to senior economic and parliamentary officials, including Budget Director Meiran Frozenfar, Accountant General Michal Abadi-Boiangiu, and Finance Committee Chair Hanoch Milwitsky.