Government Delays Distribution of “Deri’s Food Tickets” Due to Legal Advisor’s Testing Requirement
11.07.2023 | 16:21
The distribution of “Deri’s food tickets” is facing a delay as the office of the Legal Adviser to the Government imposes additional testing requirements. Deputy Legal Adviser to the Government, Avital Sompolinsky, is calling for more tests on the division criterion before allowing the execution of the distribution.
“Deri’s food tickets” are food vouchers for the needy that are funded through coalition funds as part of agreements with the Shas Party. The budget for these vouchers amounts to one billion shekels over the next two years, with 400 million shekels allocated for 2023 and 600 million shekels for 2024.
The Blue and White Humanitarian Society (BSHS) demands that food purchase receipts, totaling hundreds of shekels per month, be distributed through the Ministry of the Interior based on property tax discounts. This criterion, used in 2021, is favorable towards the ultra-orthodox population and those with large families, but excludes Arab families, who often live in areas without an organized property tax mechanism. This distribution principle requires those who are not eligible for a property tax discount to submit an application and prove their eligibility before receiving a limited amount of food vouchers.
Asi Messing, the Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Finance, has previously opposed this method of distribution, criticizing the lack of an employment test for determining eligibility. He argues that the current mechanism does not prioritize the needs of food-insecure populations and does not effectively invest in poverty-stricken communities. Messing notes that data from the distribution of food vouchers during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed a significantly higher proportion of ultra-orthodox households receiving vouchers compared to the proportion of food-insecure households in this population.
Minister of the Interior and Health, Moshe Arbel, emphasizes the government’s commitment to continue distributing food vouchers to the poorest populations to ensure food security. He considers it a social obligation of the highest order, particularly in times when citizens are forced to choose between buying food or medicine. Arbel has collaborated with the Minister of Finance to address rising medicine prices and aims to allow every elderly person and child in Israel to purchase food products in a dignified manner, without having to stand in line for food boxes.
Arbel adds that the aid policy based on property tax income tests does not discriminate between different religious or ethnic groups. The government’s focus is on helping the weakest individuals in society through a normative income test per person. By targeting aid to those most in need, the government hopes to promote food security and provide hope to those who are struggling. The Legal Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that there are no legal obstacles to this policy, and Arbel intends to move forward even before the upcoming holidays.