Posted on 07/18/23
| News Source: Times of Israel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reportedly plans to siphon tens of millions of shekels earmarked for economic development in the Arab community to instead cover the cost of paying additional stipends to yeshiva students demanded by ultra-Orthodox political parties.
Smotrich is seeking to carve NIS 130 million ($36 million) from an NIS 32 billion ($10 billion) plan meant to upgrade welfare, health services, education, infrastructure and more in long-neglected Arab cities, the Kan public broadcaster reported Monday without citing sources.
According to the report, Smotrich instructed ministry staff to examine the possibility of using the money to fund the stipends for full-time yeshiva students, amid gripes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox allies that the enhanced benefits their community was guaranteed by the recent state budget weren’t sufficient.
In response to the report, the leader of the federation of local authorities sent a letter to Netanyahu pleading with him to prevent the “fatal blow.”
Smotrich was forced to look for other sources for the stipends after Education Minister Yoav Kisch refused to make up the shortfall from his budget, according to the report.
Smotrich said the NIS 130 million had been left out of the budget “due to a technical mistake,” when asked about it at his far-right Religious Zionism party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset Monday.
“There is a budgetary source, everything is alright,” he said, Kan reported.