Two days before Israelis vote for the 26th Knesset, the Knesset Finance Committee approved a final round of budget transfers on Sunday. The largest share went to the Education Ministry, with significant sums also going to tourism and to rebuilding the Tekuma region in the south. Because the election is so close, the transfers needed sign-off from the Arrangements Committee, which gave its consent.
The Education Ministry received about NIS 500 million. The money brings the ministry’s budget in line with projected spending on its five-year classroom construction plan and other development projects. Another NIS 97 million moved to the ministry from the Prime Minister’s Office, along with NIS 120 million in spending conditional on revenue.
The extra education funds will cover:
- teacher salaries, based on spending forecasts
- computer and information systems projects
- direct funding for teachers’ organizations and welfare funds
- government decisions to strengthen the north and south
- programs promised in coalition agreements, including the Ofek preparatory programs for at-risk youth, year-of-service volunteers, youth movements, educator groups and student villages
The Tourism Ministry received about NIS 95 million, drawn from employment and tourism budget lines and from the Finance Ministry. The money will fund aid to incoming tourism operators hurt by the war that began on October 7, the rehabilitation of hotels and guesthouses that housed evacuees, and efforts to boost domestic tourism. The committee also approved an internal shift of NIS 18 million in commitment authority within the ministry. It will fund the government company responsible for the Dead Sea embankments and for developing tourism infrastructure.
In planning, the committee approved about NIS 76 million, plus roughly NIS 70 million in commitment authority, for the Planning Administration’s ongoing work and for carrying out government decisions. A further NIS 131 million moved from the Prime Minister’s Office to cover past commitments under the Tekuma Administration, which oversees the rebuilding and development of the communities near Gaza.
The session doubled as committee chairman Chanoch Milwidsky’s farewell. “I had the privilege of sitting for over a year at the head of this committee,” he said. He thanked MKs Moshe Gafni and Yinon Azoulay, “two very experienced MKs here, who took me under their wing and made sure I didn’t make too many mistakes.”
Milwidsky also praised the committee’s staff and legal advisers. “There was never a time when I asked for something and received a negative answer, no matter the hour or the date,” he said. “Even though I didn’t always agree with their decisions, I always had and still have appreciation for the professionalism and dedication.”
Azulay returned the compliment. “You filled the role in a difficult year,” he said. “It was supposed to be for a month or two, and in the end it extended and you did the work professionally.”
