Opposition Demands Halt to 117 Million Shekel Transfer to Settlement Ministry Over Election Misuse Concerns

Opposition members in the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Vladimir Beliak and MK Naor Shiri from Yesh Atid, have called on the Knesset legal advisor to stop the transfer of 117 million shekels to the Ministry of Settlement, led by Minister Ayelet Shaked's successor, Orit Strook of the Religious Zionism party. They expressed concern that the funds, allocated for settlement activities beyond the Green Line, Jewish education centers, and cultural projects, could be exploited for political purposes during the election period. The Finance Committee is set to discuss the Treasury's request for this transfer in a special session on Wednesday, despite the election recess.

Beliak and Shiri accused the Ministry of Settlement of acting as a "petty cash box" for the Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. They urged a legal review to ensure the transfer complies with election period regulations and requested the budget request be withdrawn until the investigation is complete. This follows a letter from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara last week, advising ministers to exercise restraint during elections and avoid actions that could bind their successors.

The upcoming Finance Committee meeting will also revisit three recent budget requests totaling over 1 billion shekels, including 63.3 million shekels to the Ministry of Heritage and 980 million shekels to local authorities, of which 67 million shekels were already transferred without committee approval. These requests were put to a vote by Committee Chair MK Hanoch Milwitsky (Likud) against established procedures requiring a 48-hour review period. The committee's legal advisor, Attorney Shlomit Arlich, ruled the votes illegal, but Milwitsky rejected this and refused to hold new votes. However, it is expected that due to Arlich's stance and the upcoming budget discussions, the committee will conduct repeat votes next week.