Finance Committee Chair Milvitsky Rejects Legal Challenges to Budget Transfers, Declares Issue Closed
On June 1, 2026, Knesset Finance Committee Chair Hanoch Milvitsky rejected legal challenges by the committee's legal advisor Shlomit Arlich regarding the validity of late-night budget transfer votes. Milvitsky declared the discussions lawful and closed the issue, while accusing Arlich of improper conduct and technical objections. The dispute centers on large budget reallocations and procedural disagreements, with no further debate planned before the Knesset's dissolution.
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- Finance Committee Chair Milvitsky rejects legal advisor Arlich's claims that budget transfer votes were illegal.
- Milvitsky states discussions were lawful, comprehensive, and no further debate will occur.
- Milvitsky accuses Arlich of confusing legal advice with legislative authority and personal bias.
- Arlich alleged procedural flaws in three budget transfer requests, including late-night transfers and large surplus reallocations.
- Milvitsky counters that opposition members did not protest as claimed and technical errors do not invalidate transfers.
- The dispute involves critical budget items like compensation for Yemenite children and awaits further review after Knesset dissolution.
A sharp confrontation unfolded in the Knesset on June 1, 2026, between Finance Committee Chair MK Hanoch Milvitsky and the committee's legal advisor, attorney Shlomit Arlich. Milvitsky sent a strongly worded letter rejecting Arlich's earlier claims that the committee's late-night budget transfer discussions and votes were illegal and invalid. He asserted unequivocally that the discussions were lawful, comprehensive, and lasted over two and a half hours, emphasizing that no further debate would take place and the matter was closed.
Milvitsky criticized the legal advisor's conduct, accusing her of confusing her role with legislative authority and allowing personal disputes with the Treasury legal counsel to influence her judgment. He condemned her refusal to permit discussion on significant budget transfers due to technicalities, calling it unacceptable.
The dispute was triggered by Arlich's morning letter to Milvitsky, the Knesset legal advisor, and the Treasury legal advisor, alleging that the committee's votes on budget reallocations and large surpluses violated laws and transparency rules, especially given the current Knesset's term ending. She highlighted three main procedural flaws: a late-night transfer request from the Prime Minister's and Heritage Ministries lacking legal opinion or government decisions; a nearly 1 billion shekel surplus transfer from 2025 to 2026 with a 67 million shekel alleged legal defect; and various budget overruns including payments to families of Yemenite children and credit fund activities, which she said lacked proper legal review.
Milvitsky refuted these points, stating no opposition members left the session in protest as claimed, and that the surplus transfer's irregularity was a technical bookkeeping error, not a legal violation. He stressed the critical nature of the disputed budget items, including compensation for Yemenite children and victims of the "Yisraelis" affair, and noted opposition agreement to revisit these issues after the Knesset dissolves. He concluded that substantive needs must prevail over procedural technicalities.
This unprecedented public clash highlights tensions between elected officials and legal advisors over parliamentary procedures and budget oversight, with no resolution yet as the committee moves forward without reopening the debate on these transfers.
אותו אירוע, כפי שכל מערכת דיווחה עליו בנפרד. פתחו כמה דיווחים כדי להשוות מה כל מערכת מדגישה, ומה היא משאירה בחוץ.
מרכז 2ימין 1אחרים 1
