The Mossawa Center, a leading advocacy organization for Arab citizens of Israel, is intensifying its legal efforts to ensure full transparency regarding government budget allocations intended for Arab municipalities. This comes after the Ministry of Environmental Protection provided only partial information in response to a petition filed by Mossawa under the Freedom of Information Law.

In the petition submitted to the Jerusalem District Court, the Mossawa Center sought detailed disclosures on the implementation of budgets allocated under Government Resolution 550, aimed at addressing environmental disparities in Arab communities. While the Ministry revealed that 46 million ILS ($12,571,000) was utilized out of 50 million ILS ($13,666,000) allocated by the Ministry of Finance in 2022, it failed to disclose crucial information about funds from the “Cleanliness Fund” and delayed information on the implementation of budgets for 2023 and 2024.

"The Ministry's response after more than a year of delay is inadequate," stated Nibal Abu Ardat, Legal and Parliamentary Advocacy Coordinator at Mossawa. "We will not settle for incomplete data and are determined to pursue this matter in court. Government commitments must translate into real actions that meet the needs of Arab towns."

Lawyer Ahmed Ghanem Ghazzawi, a member of Mossawa's board of directors, emphasized: "We will not allow the government to obscure the truth about its investments. It is our duty to expose the reality, even if it means continued legal battles. The Ministry of Environmental Protection, along with other government entities, must be held accountable for their promises to close environmental and economic gaps in Arab society."

Mossawa has a track record of compelling government transparency through legal petitions, previously forcing the Ministries of Finance and Welfare to disclose budget allocations after significant delays. The Mossawa Center is committed to holding Israeli ministries accountable, ensuring that decisions benefiting Arab communities are fully implemented.

The Mossawa center has requested information from over 30 government ministries regarding implementations of Government Decisions 550, 1279, 1804, and 1834, and plans to file additional petitions to uncover all relevant data crucial for the socio-economic development of Arab towns in Israel.