Election Committee Evaluates Satmar Holiday Aid Amid Abstention Concerns
The Central Election Committee is reviewing whether Satmar-affiliated association Shekel HaTohor bypassed a voting abstention injunction by disguising funds as holiday aid.
The Central Election Committee chairman, Justice Noam Solberg, issued a temporary injunction last week prohibiting the "Shekel HaTohor" association, affiliated with the Satmar Hasidic community, from distributing money in exchange for abstaining from voting in the upcoming elections.
According to reports published by Israel Hayom, the Satmar community found an alternative method to distribute funds: instead of payments conditional on abstention, the money will be distributed as holiday financial aid and support for families ahead of the Sukkot holiday.
On Sunday, the Movement for Quality Government submitted a response to the Election Committee, arguing that the association converted the disputed support into general holiday assistance in an attempt to bypass the temporary injunction. Justice Solberg instructed the association to address the claim, and the organization responded today stating that the funds had already been distributed last Thursday and that such holiday assistance is provided annually on a regular basis. The Central Election Committee has not yet issued a final ruling on the matter.
