Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has blocked the transfer of approximately NIS 800 million ($252 million) to Chareidi yeshivos, intervening within hours of a Knesset vote to halt funds that had received parliamentary approval.

The funding was inserted by the coalition into a legislative amendment to the state budget and passed with a broad majority, in what Baharav-Miara acknowledged was a procedural maneuver. Because nearly all amendments are typically submitted by the opposition, a number of opposition MKs voted in favor without recognizing the measure — a legislative miscue that nonetheless produced a valid vote under Knesset rules.

The attorney general argued the allocation appeared designed to circumvent a High Court of Justice ruling that bars the state from providing benefits to yeshivos who have refused to comply with military conscription orders. The attorney general has broad discretion over which legal concerns to elevate into emergency halts and her office has shown a consistent pattern of deploying that discretion against legislation benefiting Chareidim.

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni did not mince words. “The budget was approved last night in accordance with the law, with an unprecedented majority,” he said. “Gali Baharav-Miara has no authority to intervene; this is criminality by any standard and her hatred towards the Chareidi public is visible to all.”

Opposition leader and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid — a politician whose career has been defined by his opposition to Chareidi draft exemptions — welcomed the move immediately and in explicitly political terms. “We will continue to fight for you,” he said. “This money will not be transferred.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)