Opposition Files Urgent Petition to Halt Coalition Budget Transfers of Over 360 Million Shekels

MK Naama Lazimi (Labor) and attorney Dr. Yifat Solel, legal advisor to the Hadashot association, filed an urgent petition to the Israeli Supreme Court this morning seeking an injunction to prevent the Finance Committee from convening today to discuss coalition budget transfers exceeding 360 million shekels. The petition argues that the meeting violates legal provisions and Knesset decisions during the election recess period. It requests a prohibition on the meeting itself or, alternatively, an interim order to block the approval of these funds if the meeting proceeds.

The petition claims the committee's session breaches the law and Knesset rules, which allow only one Finance Committee discussion during the first two weeks of the recess, a session held on July 29 that ended without approving any budget transfers. It further alleges that the agenda includes coalition budget reallocations not discussed before the recess, including about 280 million shekels allocated to ultra-Orthodox and religious educational institutions.

Lazimi condemned the coalition's actions as a "daylight robbery" of public funds, accusing the outgoing coalition of attempting to drain the public treasury before losing power. She criticized the pretext of a "continuation discussion" as insulting and a violation of proper administrative conduct and election integrity. She highlighted that hundreds of millions intended for reservists, evacuees, and struggling welfare and health systems are being redirected as election bribes to loyalists and avoiders. Lazimi vowed to fight to protect every shekel until a responsible government is elected.

Solel added that Finance Committee Chair Hanoch Milwitsky is ignoring the law by pushing forward with the budget transfers after the Knesset has entered recess and should only address agreed-upon matters. She stated that the court must intervene to stop the outgoing government representatives from misappropriating public funds during the election period.