A petition submitted to the High Court of Justice this week calls on the Israeli government to immediately transfer funds it has illegally withheld from environmental programs in Arab communities. The petition was filed by Adam Teva V’Din, the Mossawa Center, and Citizens for the Environment, and targets the Ministries of Finance and Environmental Protection.
At issue is Government Resolution 550, a binding five-year plan adopted to reduce socioeconomic and environmental gaps in Arab society. The resolution mandates an annual transfer of NIS 50 million from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, totaling NIS 250 million over five years. However, the state failed to transfer the required funds for 2023 and 2024 (NIS 100 million), and is already delaying the 2025 installment. If no action is taken, the total shortfall could reach NIS 150 million.
The petition asserts that the Ministry of Finance is violating both the letter and spirit of the law, undermining public health and equality in Arab localities. Towns like Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city, are experiencing severe environmental crises –including unmanaged waste, air and water pollution, and degraded sanitation – that endanger residents’ health and quality of life.
“This is a flagrant and illegal breach of a binding government decision,” said Amal Ziada, attorney at Adam Teva V’Din (pictured). “Arab communities have long suffered from systemic neglect, and the ongoing budget freeze further erodes their rights to a healthy environment and basic public services.”
Attorney Jamila Hardel, Director of Citizens for the Environment, emphasized that the situation reflects deeper structural issues: “Local authorities in Arab society are already struggling with financial hardship and threats from criminal elements. Withholding these funds only worsens an already dire environmental emergency.”
Nibal Aradat, Policy Change Coordinator at the Mossawa Center, warned of broader implications: “The state’s failure to implement Resolution 550 not only harms public health – it also undermines democratic governance, justice, and the principle of administrative loyalty. The Ministry of Finance bears full responsibility for this moral and legal failure.”
The three petitioners are calling on the court to compel the government to honor its obligations before the end of the fiscal year and restore faith in environmental justice and equal rights for all Israeli citizens.
NEWS FLASH: July 27, 2025: The High Court of Justice responded promptly to the petition, and ordered the State to submit a preliminary response by Monday, September 15, 2025.
