Israeli Supreme Court Halts Budget Transfers Approved by Finance Committee

The Israeli Supreme Court has issued a temporary injunction stopping the implementation of budget transfers approved yesterday by the Knesset Finance Committee. Justice Alex Stein granted the order on Wednesday, pausing the transfer of funds except those related to civil emergency expenses. This follows a petition filed Tuesday morning by Knesset member Naama Lazimi and the NGO Adalah.

The Finance Committee had approved reallocations totaling approximately 267 million shekels from the state reserve to the Ministry of Education. These included funding for a dropout prevention program in yeshivas (26 million shekels), increased subsidies for after-school programs in exempt institutions (16 million), support for ultra-Orthodox Jewish cultural initiatives (12 million), funding for Torah institutions in the "reclamation area" (15 million), and 30 million shekels for the Hamad educational network. Another 16 million shekels was allocated for the "School of the Long Vacation" in exempt institutions.

Additionally, the Ministry of Culture was approved to receive coalition funds amounting to about 78 million shekels in cash, 40 million shekels authorized for commitments supporting Jewish culture and assistance to local authorities in Area C, and 5 million shekels for task forces and the Settlement Division. The committee also approved hundreds of millions of shekels in budget transfers for various programs, including 800 million shekels to the Ministry of Education, grants to local authorities from last year's budget surpluses, funds for the Settlement Ministry, 164 million shekels to cover unpaid leave related to Operation "Roar of the Lion," and hundreds of millions for fortifying northern communities.

The Supreme Court's injunction reflects ongoing legal scrutiny of budget reallocations amid political and social debates over funding priorities. The petitioners challenged the legality of these transfers, prompting the court to intervene pending further review.