The Finance Committee's discussion on preparing for the second and third reading of the National Insurance Bill - a proposal by MKs Yinon Azoulay and Moshe Arbel, opened with a heated debate on the report published last night in 'Kan News', according to which the government is expected to transfer 130 million shekels from the program to reduce gaps in the Arab sector to increase the allowances for young people.
MK Ahmed Tibi addressed the deputy chairman of the committee, MK Yinon Azoulay: "Yesterday on Kan 11, Liel Keizer reported that the budgetary source of 130 million NIS for the Abrahim will come from the budget of the Arab Society Development Plan. What is the genetic makeup of people who make such suggestions time and time again? As a doctor myself, I offer to help.
""I spoke with all parties yesterday to review the proposal. Indeed, in one of the meetings held recently, this option was thrown out. I contacted Gafni and Deri, as well as other ministers, and also the Ministry of Justice. It is important for me to hear. I will ask every Haredi MK to hear his position. Do you morally agree that money intended for Arab society will be transferred to Haredi society, 130 million shekels budget for the Aravech?""
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MK Iman Khatib-Yassin: "We have already sent a letter to the Prime Minister and everyone who needs it to reach him. It's amazing how things are being done. It's precisely people who are in the category of the disadvantaged, and we advocate that they receive their full rights, that they actually agree and accept such a step.".
""We sent a letter to the Minister of Environmental Protection regarding a previous report like this, and she replied that it will not happen and will not happen. Suddenly we see that it is happening. We know that this requires a government decision. We are very surprised by the silence of the Haredi MKs on the issue. We are supposed to be guarantors for each other, in a place where both sectors have suffered from exclusion for years.".
""After more than 70 years of a budget that was initiated by the Israeli government and paid a high price for, it seems that you are ready for this step. What comes is by right, not at the expense of others, it is money allocated to Arabs on critical issues, whether it is education, whether it is welfare, whether it is crime and violence. Six months and 124 murdered, the claim is always that there are no resources, and that when there are, they are taken.".
MK Ayman Odeh said in the debate: "We are against any harm to the disadvantaged. We have been in the Knesset for a good few years and you have never heard from us incitement against the Haredi or any disadvantaged group. Even when budgets were allocated to these groups, we stood on the right side, because the disadvantaged need to be strengthened. We support social justice. There is a lot of money in the country, but a lot of it goes to the wrong places, such as strengthening the settlers and strengthening the tycoons. The Haredi public certainly deserves it, but certainly not the money that is intended for the Arab public, which is being misappropriated in all areas.".
MK Yitzhak Pindros replied: "I want to tell you, MK Tibi, you have more experience than me. You know that from a letter in a newspaper that can even be based on a statement that was made, until it reaches the Finance Committee, the road is long. You know the permanent chairman of the committee, his deputy, and the people on the committee, and you know that he never lends a hand to harm the Arab public. From a headline to an appeal to the Finance Committee and its approval by the Finance Committee, it is a dead end. Therefore, I would suggest leaving the headlines in the media, and staying here in united action.".
MK Yinon Azoulay responded: "We expressed a clear opinion, there are budgets from other sources, it must not be at the expense of others. The money was allocated by virtue of a government decision to the Arab sector, it must be respected. The violence is spreading to all sectors, more resources must be given there, the police and the minister must be awakened, so that they can deal with the issue clearly and unequivocally. We have never harmed the Arab sector.".
At this point, Azoulay attacked RAAM: "But I want to mention something that happened not long ago. Before the previous government collapsed, RAAM took care of bringing money to the exempt institutions, and did not worry about the money from the Mukhtar, and here they begged for this money, which came in every previous year. As an ultra-Orthodox sector, we suffered many blows in the previous government.".
MK Khatib-Yassin: "You know we fought for this, you're saying things that are not true.".
MK Azoulay: "You didn't bring any results.".
MK Khatib-Yassin: "We said that even we are willing to give from the Arab society's money, and the government did not agree. You have been in governments throughout the years, not just in the previous term, you can have much more influence than we could. We are not asking for favors from anyone, but what we rightfully deserve. This is a completely different case, we did not take your money, now we are transferring it from the Arab society's program to the Haredi, you know that. For 70 years you were partners in all the governments, where was the Haredi society in all these years?!".
MK Azoulay: "We are not here to touch other people's money, we will bring from sources that we know how to bring. There is no need to touch a shekel in Arab society, we will continue to help, there are disadvantaged people in Arab society, we understand your heart no less. But I remind you that when you were in government, you did not bring results regarding us.".
