Israeli finance minister to renew funds to Arab communities after backlash

Source: Reuters

Israeli finance minister to renew funds to Arab communities after backlash

Reuters
August 28, 2023 7:52 AM EDT Updated 18 hours ago

JERUSALEM, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday his ministry would unblock funds for Arab communities that he suspended saying the money was fuelling crime, triggering outrage from Arab mayors and some Arab and Jewish lawmakers.

Smotrich, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist-religious government, said this month that some of the budget funds meant for Arab local councils were a political pay-off by the previous cabinet that could end up in the hands of "criminals and terrorists".

Arab councils held a strike last week in protest and community leaders demonstrated outside government offices. The National Committee of Arab Local Councils in Israel accused Smotrich of racism.

In a statement on Monday, Smotrich appeared to reverse course and said an oversight mechanism had been created to transfer funds to the Arab communities.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-finance-minister-renew-funds-arab-communities-after-backlash-2023-08-28/

Non-paywalled link: https://news.yahoo.com/israeli-finance-minister-renew-funds-115240098.html