Supreme Court halts ultra-Orthodox budget transfers over procedural flaws

Israel’s Supreme Court has intervened to block budget transfers to ultra-Orthodox communities that were approved by the parliamentary Finance Committee yesterday, citing serious procedural irregularities. Justice Alex Stein issued the temporary freeze, which will remain in place until a full three-judge panel can hear the case at the earliest possible opportunity. The decision represents a significant judicial obstacle to the government’s efforts to redirect public funds to the haredi sector.

The freeze applies to most of the transfers approved by the Finance Committee, with the exception of emergency civilian expenditure allocations. The court’s intervention suggests that justices have grave concerns about how the decision was made by lawmakers, rather than necessarily objecting to the transfers themselves. This distinction may be important as the case proceeds through the courts.

The Finance Committee, the Knesset, and the Ministry of Finance have been given 48 hours before the scheduled hearing to submit their preliminary responses to the petition and the request for interim measures. These written submissions will form the basis of arguments before the three-judge panel, which will determine whether the transfers can proceed or face further restrictions. The case touches on longstanding tensions over state funding for ultra-Orthodox communities and their exemption from certain military service obligations.

Source: Walla News — Original article in Hebrew.