Knesset Legal Advisor Approves Continued Discussion on Budget Transfers

Knesset Legal Advisor Sagit Afik, in coordination with the Legal Advisor to the Finance Committee Shlomit Ehrlich, has approved holding a Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday regarding budget transfers for the ultra-Orthodox sector and settlements. This comes despite the fact that during an election period, the consent of the Consent Committee, which includes representatives from both the coalition and the opposition, is required. The opposition remains opposed to the move.

Afik noted that out of five requests and three requests for repeat votes (revisions) included in the Knesset Committee's decision of July 17, 2026, no votes were held during the July 29, 2026, meeting. This was due to the position of opposition MKs who insisted on a thorough discussion, as well as her own ruling that the committee meeting could not continue into the night.

"Since this is a continuation of the discussion on these transfers, our position is that the debate can be held, provided that it lasts for a reasonable time," Afik determined. She added that it is permissible to include the transfer of 78.5 million shekels to the Ministry of Religious Services, as well as an authorization to commit 17.5 million shekels for mandatory supplier payments, the absence of which threatens the shutdown of computing systems and salary payments.

Afik added: "The opposition coordinator, MK Merav Ben-Ari, has clarified her opposition to holding the discussion. It should be clear that any other discussion on transfers, or any other subject in this or any other committee, will require the prior consent of the opposition coordinator; without it, no discussion can be held."

MKs Vladimir Beliak and Naor Shiri (Yesh Atid-Yahad) appealed to the Knesset Legal Advisor and the Finance Committee Legal Advisor to cancel the additional meeting, arguing it contradicts the Knesset Committee's decision and lacks the explicit approval of the Consent Committee. A similar appeal was submitted by MKs Naama Lazimi (Labor) and Orit Farkash-Hacohen.

Beliak and Shiri noted that on the eve of the Knesset's dissolution, it was decided that the Finance Committee would hold only one meeting during the first two weeks of the recess. That meeting took place last week, lasting 11 hours, during which 19 requests were approved.

Lazimi and Farkash-Hacohen claimed: "There is a fear that the coalition will attempt to trample on procedures and the Knesset Committee's decision to hold an additional meeting bypassing the Consent Committee. The purpose of this maneuver is clear: the immediate injection of hundreds of millions of shekels for sectoral purposes—specifically 284 million shekels for ultra-Orthodox educational institutions and 83 million shekels for the Ministry of Settlements. The attempt to transfer huge designated budgets to sectors whose support the coalition seeks after the Knesset's dissolution constitutes a blatant violation of proper administration and amounts to election bribery that undermines the integrity and purity of elections."