Bypassing the Ministry of Heritage: KKL to fund Gaza Envelope memorials without veto power
The KKL board of directors approved a 110 million shekel aid package for rehabilitation and commemoration in the south. Against the backdrop of Minister Amichai Eliyahu's demand for involvement in the nature of the commemoration in Kfar Aza, the fund will allocate 15 million shekels to the kibbutz and anchor full freedom of choice for the community in the agreement. KKL Chairman: "Wherever the state fails, we step in."
The KKL (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael) board of directors approved this week an investment package of more than 110 million shekels for rehabilitation, commemoration, and agricultural development in the Gaza Envelope communities. The central decision includes extensive funding for memorial projects in the kibbutzim, while explicitly excluding external interference in the nature of the commemoration, contrary to the position of the Ministry of Heritage.
The most prominent move in the KKL decision concerns funding the commemoration of the October 7 massacre in Kfar Aza, against the backdrop of a sharp dispute between the kibbutz and the Ministry of Heritage. KKL will allocate 20 million shekels to Kfar Aza over three years, of which 15 million will be used for memorial projects. The agreement with the kibbutz will explicitly state that neither KKL nor any other party will have veto power over the nature of the commemoration as a condition for receiving the funds.
The decision comes after Kibbutz Kfar Aza formulated an independent plan to preserve the "Dor Tza'ir" neighborhood and establish a memorial center, which received the support of about 70% of the kibbutz members. Last April, Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu visited the kibbutz and pledged to help implement the outline chosen by the community. However, the Ministry of Heritage recently offered the kibbutz only two million shekels, while demanding involvement and veto power over the manner of commemoration, a step that the kibbutz views as a retreat from the commitment.
KKL Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky explained that the denial of veto power will also apply to other communities that will be budgeted, such as Be'eri and Holit. "A community is heart and soul, every community has its own story and its own way of telling it, and one must not interfere with them," Ostrinsky noted. According to him, KKL's entry into the field is intended to increase pressure on the government to expand aid: "Many times when the government sees that KKL is investing money, it understands that public criticism will soon arrive."
Kibbutz Kfar Aza Chairman Sigal Moran welcomed the decision and stated that the support will allow for the creation of places that will carry the memory of the murdered, while simultaneously being part of a growing and developing kibbutz.
Alongside Kfar Aza, the KKL budget will be divided among other centers in the Envelope. Kibbutz Be'eri will receive 20 million shekels, which will be channeled mainly to infrastructure rehabilitation and development of the community. Kibbutz Holit will receive five million shekels for the first time, mainly for memorial projects, due to the high rate of casualties within the community.
Another significant move in the decision concerns 46 families from Kibbutz Nir Oz who chose not to return to their homes and are expected to be absorbed together in Kibbutz Beit Nir. KKL will transfer 12 million shekels for the development of public buildings and infrastructure for them in Beit Nir, a sum that is in addition to ten million shekels already approved for this purpose. Ostrinsky argued that the move illustrates the difficulty of the government mechanism to provide a response. "The government with its bureaucracy does not know how to handle this event, and wherever the state stops or fails, KKL steps in," he added.
In the field of agriculture, about 40 million shekels will be invested in land preparation in the area, with 30 million of them intended for the Eshkol Regional Council, which suffered the hardest hit, for the benefit of developing 6,700 dunams. In addition, 12 million shekels will be allocated to encourage settlement and bring mission groups to the affected Gaza Envelope kibbutzim. In Nir Oz, the absorption of four groups is planned, and in Kfar Aza, Be'eri, and Holit, two groups will be absorbed in each community.
Simultaneously, 800,000 shekels were approved for the Eshkol and Sha'ar HaNegev regional councils for the benefit of October 7 memorial events. The goal is to encourage the councils to hold a joint regional event that will become a permanent annual ceremony in the Envelope.
The response of Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu will be provided when received.
