Two days after announcing her return to the Lapid-Bennett coalition, the first payment was made to renegade Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie-Zoabi to keep her in (This Arab Woman Was Promised a Diplomat’s Job, Now She’s Toppling Bennett’s Government). Reshet Bet radio reported Tuesday morning that the first round of funding that Rinawie-Zoabi will receive is NIS 25 million ($7.46 million), to be earmarked for hospitals in the Arab city of Nazareth.
The government announced that to strengthen the health system in the city of Nazareth, the Health Ministry will allocate a total of NIS 12.5 million in 2022, and the Finance Ministry will allocate an additional NIS 12.5 million in 2023. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, also from Meretz, will monitor the progress of the “project.”
On Sunday, MK Rinawie-Zoabi announced that she was reversing her decision from the week before and would not resign from the coalition, following her meeting with Foreign Minister Lapid and heads of Arab municipalities. She justified her zigzagging saying her aim is “to serve the local municipalities and bring about achievements for the needs of Arab society,” and therefore “I will support the coalition.”
She added: “But I also want the government to be real and attentive to Arab society and its needs in health, education, housing, and infrastructure.”
So, there you have it: expect additional ransom payments from the Lapid-Bennett-Liberman government in those areas. It’s amusing to see Avigdor Liberman lavishing all this money on Israeli Arabs, after basing his election campaigns for more than a decade on demanding that they contribute to society, otherwise they shouldn’t expect government handouts. There he is now, handing out government money galore to the population that contributes the least.
