Israeli Supreme Court Rejects Request to Halt Finance Committee Meeting on Budget Transfers

On Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein denied an urgent petition seeking to stop a Finance Committee meeting scheduled to discuss a series of budget transfers. The petition was filed by the organizations Hadash, Freedom of Religion and Equality, and Knesset member Naama Lazimi against Finance Committee Chairman and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and the Ministry of Finance. The petitioners argued that convening the committee during the election recess to approve budget transfers, including coalition funds amounting to hundreds of millions of shekels, violated the government's obligation to exercise restraint during election periods and breached procedural rules for committee activity during recess.

They claimed the meeting agenda was delivered on short notice, lacked approval from the Knesset Arrangements Committee, and did not include a proper discussion on the justification for convening. The transfers under discussion involved the Defense Ministry, Prime Minister's Office, Education Ministry, and Ministry of Religious Services. Justice Stein ruled that the Finance Committee was authorized to meet and deliberate on the transfers, denying the request to halt the session.

However, he ordered the petitioners to submit an update by 9:00 AM on August 5 regarding decisions made during the meeting. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the petition's merits or the legality of the committee's convening and budget transfers, focusing only on the urgent request to stop the meeting before it occurred. After receiving the update, the court will decide how to proceed with the case.