Led by ministers May Golan and Itamar Ben Gvir, the Shin Bet will receive NIS 500 million to combat organized crime in Arab society, according to reports. The funding formalizes a policy shift first reported earlier this evening.
At 21:34 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reports that Ministers May Golan and Itamar Ben Gvir are leading the initiative to allocate NIS 500 million to the Shin Bet for combating organized crime in Arab society. The allocation formalizes a policy shift that has been tracked across multiple reports within the past hour. The funding, diverted from the previous government's Plan 550, brings total security spending on this front to NIS 567 million, as first detailed by The Zioneer at 20:43 Jerusalem.
The story thread began at 20:43 Jerusalem with an unverified Channel 14 report that the government was set to approve Shin Bet entry into Arab crime fighting. Within minutes, N12's Adar Gitzis reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu had approved hundreds of millions for the effort, while the Shin Bet cautioned that the department's structure was not yet finalized. Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs then confirmed the NIS 500 million allocation from Plan 550, and Channel 14 reported a broader crime eradication program. By 20:43 Jerusalem, the government formally approved the Shin Bet's role, and ministers Golan and Ben Gvir announced the initiative, with Ben Gvir calling it a 'tremendous achievement.' The Zioneer's own bulletin at 21:30 Jerusalem consolidated these confirmations.
Background context: The Zioneer reported on Saturday, July 4, that the government had allocated first-ever funds to the Shin Bet for Arab crime, and that the Finance Ministry had approved an immediate 15 billion shekel transfer to the defense budget amid shortfalls from prolonged campaigns. The Zioneer also noted that the Haredi parties had recently criticized Ben Gvir for an all-time high in Arab sector crime, setting the stage for this policy shift.
What remains open: The Shin Bet has stated that the operational department's structure has not been finalized and implementation will take time. Exact operational details, timelines, and metrics for the campaign have not been specified. The government is expected to approve the decision at the Sunday cabinet meeting.
11 developments
- StrongGovernment allocates first-ever funds to Shin Bet for combating Arab crime
- StrongFinance Ministry greenlights immediate 15b shekel transfer to defense budget
- DevelopingNetanyahu orders 350 billion shekel increase to defense budget over the next decade
- StrongGovernment allocates NIS 18 million to rabbinical courts for 2026
Source and signal
- Internal intake