High Court of Justice frees NIS 78m. for Religious Services Ministry, wider budget freeze remains

Israel's High Court of Justice has released the full NIS 78 million budget transfer for the Religious Services Ministry, lifting it from a freeze on disputed government funding. However, the broader freeze on other contested transfers remains intact while the court considers a petition challenging the legality of a Knesset Finance Committee meeting.

The freeze originated from a petition arguing that the committee meeting, held during the election recess on August 4, was convened unlawfully. Petitioners Hiddush and Democrats MK Naama Lazimi contend that the hundreds of millions of shekels approved at that meeting should not take effect. The court has not yet ruled on this underlying question, with Friday's decision focusing narrowly on the immediate relief for the Religious Services Ministry.

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When we speak to political leaders, they assure us that the budget has been allocated and work will begin.

Among the transfers still blocked are funding packages for haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and religious-Zionist education programs, as well as the National Missions Ministry. Civil emergency expenses had previously been excluded from the original freeze. The Religious Services Ministry received broader relief than initially requested by the state.

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Because the river is swollen, we cannot safely transport patients at night. People in the village are being deprived of timely medical treatment, and selling our local produce has become incredibly difficult.

In a filing ahead of the decision, the state had asked the court to exempt funding for rabbinical courts, warning of disruptions to their computer and support systems. However, Religious Services Ministry director-general Yehuda Avidan informed the court that the frozen transfer was crucial for salaries, supplier payments, security and cleaning at holy sites, insurance, rent, and outsourced computer services. He warned that without the funds, the ministry would face difficulties maintaining operations at 125 holy sites, including Mount Meron and Rachel's Tomb, and would struggle with supplier payments and computer systems.

The court ultimately exempted the entire Religious Services Ministry transfer, rather than only the portion connected to the rabbinical courts. This decision followed a dispute over whether urgent funding should be released before the court rules on the main petition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had opposed dividing the transfers by urgency, considering all August 4 transfers important for implementing government decisions.

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Now that it has collapsed, we are forced to risk our lives again just to buy daily groceries.