Israeli Coalition Pushes Additional 100 Million Shekels to Religious Institutions Despite Parliamentary Recess

The Israeli coalition continues to advance funding transfers to religious institutions and bodies linked to ultra-Orthodox parties, even while the Knesset is in recess. On Friday, new funding requests totaling approximately 95.5 million shekels were submitted to the Finance Committee, expected to be discussed in the coming week. These include immediate transfers of 78 million shekels and an additional 17.5 million shekels authorized for future commitments. The funds are earmarked for various religious services, including 8.5 million shekels to religious councils, 26.8 million shekels for religious services, and 18 million shekels for rabbinical courts.

Earlier this week, the Finance Committee approved hundreds of millions of shekels for religious institutions and ultra-Orthodox affiliated groups, alongside a billion shekels allocated for security needs, including financing the prosecution of terrorists involved in the Neve Tzuf attack. However, due to an extended session lasting over ten hours, the committee did not approve an additional 392 million shekels in transfers to government ministries, including the Ministry of National Missions led by Minister Orit Strook. This delay was influenced by legal advice concerning convening extraordinary committee meetings during the election recess.

To convene the Finance Committee during recess, approval from the Arrangements Committee is required, which includes two Knesset members: opposition MK Merav Ben Ari and coalition MK Ofir Katz. Ben Ari expressed opposition to convening the Finance Committee during the recess. Nonetheless, the coalition can convene the Knesset committee, where it holds a majority, to authorize the Finance Committee meeting and proceed with the funding discussions.