The Environmental Ministry, headed by Yehudit Naot of Shinui,
allocated hundreds of thousands of shekels in budget funding
to local and regional authorities to provide generous
financial aid to authorities that construct large pigsties
within their bounds despite the law against raising pigs in
Israel.
MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz obtained a copy of an internal
Environmental Ministry document signed by Assistant Director-
General Dr. Yossi Inbar and addressed to the local
authorities and agricultural organizations. According to the
document the Ministry has decided to allocate support funds
from the Ministry budget to agriculture organizations that
carry out the project the Environmental Ministry views as a
critical endeavor.
The document discusses granting financial support in a range
of areas related to the environment such as agricultural
waste treatment, reducing the use of pesticides and
fertilizers, etc. Yet one seemingly innocent paragraph hidden
inside the document suddenly speaks of "planning central
sites for raising pigs."
Inbar's letter further explains that this enterprise is one
of the Ministry's policies and goals and part of the
Ministry's work plans for the next two years. The Ministry is
prepared to grant sums of up to NIS 100,000 to agricultural
organizations or local authorities that invest in this type
of project.
On Monday Rabbi Ravitz lodged harsh grievances against
Minister Naot, saying she was making use of Ministry funds to
implement the goals of the party she serves. "It is
inconceivable that budget funds intended for [protecting] the
environment for the country's citizens are being cynically
directed toward the opposite goals in violation of the law,"
said Rabbi Ravitz, who submitted an urgent question to the
Knesset.
