After Channel 14 first reported the move, it became official Monday evening: Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs announced that the Shin Bet will receive a dedicated budget of half a billion shekels (~$188 million) to join the fight against crime in Arab society. The initiative comes after a prolonged push led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister for Social Equality and Women’s Advancement May Golan.
Under the decision, the budget will be reallocated from several government ministries by repurposing funds from Government Resolution 550—a program approved by the previous government that now falls under Golan’s authority. In total, the budget allocated to the Shin Bet and Israel Police will stand at 567 million shekels (~$153 million). The decision is expected to come up for approval at next Sunday’s cabinet meeting.
Golan addressed the decision: “After I fought to expose the truth about the ‘Takaddum’ program of the Bennett-Abbas government, under which billions of shekels were transferred without oversight and control, and substantial public funds actually flowed to crime organizations—I’m pleased that together with Prime Minister Netanyahu and my colleague Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, I succeeded in leading a historic move that corrects this distortion. Instead of funneling more money without oversight, we’re directing resources to a real war against crime organizations and restoring security to Israel’s citizens, together with the Shin Bet under David Zini’s leadership and Israel Police—to lead an uncompromising fight against the murderous crime and terror organizations in the Arab sector.”