Press Release

Public Funds for Private Purposes?

Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) Roundtable to Examine Distribution of Israel’s Public Funds to Non-Profit Organizations

PUBLIC FUNDS FOR PRIVATE PURPOSES?

Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) Roundtable to Examine Distribution of Israel's Public Funds to Non-Profit Organizations

Monday, March 11, 2013, 7:00 – 9:00 PM, Israel Democracy Institute, 4 Pinsker St., Jerusalem – Historically, as pressures mounted on a coalition, special funding to non-government organizations was often allocated on the basis of the importance of the interested party rather than the importance of the issue at hand. In 1992, Israel's budget law was amended to ensure that the principal of equality would be preserved when distributing funds to non-profit organizations. This "Support for Public Institutions" amendment was meant to act as a safeguard against unequal allocation of public funds.

More than two decades have passed. Has this amendment achieved its goals? Are public funds being distributed equitably, or is government money still being used to inequitably advance sectoral demands?

Join prominent Israeli legal experts for an IDI George Shultz Roundtable discussion, in partnership with the Center for Ethics at Mishkenot Sha'ananim, on this important issue. The event will be moderated by Adv. Gilad Barnea.

Speakers include:

  • Prof. Yitzhak Zamir, former Attorney General and Israeli Supreme Court Justice
  • Adv. Didi Lachman-Messer, former Deputy Attorney General
  • Prof. Suzie Navot, Law School at the College of Management Academic Studies
  • Adv. Amnon De Hartog, former Justice Ministry official responsible for government grants to the ultra-Orthodox

The roundtable will be held in Hebrew and streamed live on the IDI website. For more information, see the event page.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Yehoshua Oz
IDI Director of International Communications
press@idi.org.il
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