![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on April 12, 2021. [US Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Untitled-1-5.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday pledged that funds allocated to Arab municipalities in Israel would eventually be transferred, local media reported.
Netanyahu’s office said that unspecified monitoring mechanisms would be put in place before the funding goes through.
“Arab citizens of Israel deserve what all citizens deserve and I am committed to that,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“This is my demand of all government ministries and it will be done after a check that ensures the money indeed reaches its destination — Arab citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu added.
Earlier this week, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich froze grants planned for Arab municipalities in the apartheid state. Some 200 million shekels ($55 million) set by the previous Israeli government for economic development, was frozen as a result.
“Despite all the pressure and the false campaign, I announce here that I will not allow the transfer of these funds without clear mechanisms that will ensure they reach their destination and not crime organisations,” Smotrich said.
He stated that his mechanisms would ensure that the funds are not being budgeted “for incitement and encouragement to terror.”
READ: Netanyahu supports freezing grants for Arab areas: Israel MK says