460 million shekels in the eye of the storm: Supreme Court reviews coalition fund dispute
The Hiddush association and MK Naama Lazimi filed a petition regarding the convening of the Finance Committee during election recess and the transfer of approximately 460 million shekels in coalition funds. The Knesset and the Ministry of Finance maintain that the procedure was legal.
The Supreme Court will hear a petition this Tuesday, presented by the Hiddush association for religious freedom and equality, and MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats). The petition is filed against the Knesset, Finance Committee Chairman MK Hanoch Milwidsky, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, concerning the transfer of coalition funds during the Knesset recess.
The petition claims the "illegal convening of the Knesset Finance Committee on 04.08.26, after the Knesset had already entered election recess on 18.07.26, without the consent of the Consent Committee, and while utilizing coalition power contrary to the duty of restraint applicable to the government and the Knesset during an election period."
The petitioners argue that the committee meeting resulted in the approval of large-scale budget transfers:
"Including coalition funds amounting to approximately 460 million shekels and hundreds of millions more for political purposes, in contradiction to the legal framework established for the Knesset recess."
Furthermore, the petition asserts that no legal opinion was provided to validate the convening of the committee. The committee chairman allegedly cited a decision by the Knesset Speaker only orally, without providing written documentation to the members.
In response, Finance Committee Chairman and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, represented by Yitzhak Bart of the Knesset legal department, argued:
"There is no flaw in the decision that justifies judicial intervention in an internal parliamentary matter. The committee convened in accordance with Knesset regulations and past practices during election periods. All budget requests were submitted by the Ministry of Finance after approval by all relevant government bodies."
The Ministry of Finance, represented by the State Attorney's Office, added that the current government is not a transitional one, as elections have not yet occurred and the government has not resigned. Professional reviews of the transfers remain ongoing. The panel of judges hearing the case consists of David Mintz, Khaled Kabub, and Ruth Ronen.
