November 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

Amendment to the state comptroller law – A broadening of the term “corruption act” in the state comptroller bill, submitted by MQG together with Member of Knesset Mickey Rosenthal, passed with success. The suggested amendment is for widening the authority of the comptroller to include all unlawful acts, as well as tempering with correct governance in order to incentivize public servants to report misdoings in the public service, help their co-workers to report as well, and not turn a blind eye to severe malpractices in the public services.

Returning tens of millions of NIS to the state treasury through a demand to the ministry of economy – During 2013, MQG discovered that the Investment Center had archived cases for 44 companies without resolving their cases. Following the mqg petition, the center returned the cases for a reevaluation. The high court, after deliberation, ruled that 20 companies must return grants in the total sum of 70 million NIS. So far the ministry of economy collected 35 million NIS from companies which failed to follow the loan’s criteria.

Separation between the Standards Institute of Israel commercial and governmental activity – MQG contacted the Minister of Economy, Naftali Bennett, to act on the state comptroller’s recommendation and separate the SII commercial and governmental activities, in order for the institution to operate in a correct and interest free manner as befitting a public authority.

Amendment to The Plants Production & Marketing Board bill – Prior to the approaching second and third reading of the government proposed bill, MQG contacted the chairman of the Economy Board, Knesset member Avishay Braverman, and pointed out the fact that the bill suggests to cancel the need for the finance committee to approve taxation of growers, distributers and exporters. Also suggested in the bill is the need to determine specific methods and times to calculate and collect these taxes. The reason for this is that subjecting the Plants Production & Marketing Board to a complicated approval procedure will hinder it from updating its taxation rules.

Demanding an investigation into the Leumi Bank affairs – MQG contacted Dr. Karnit Flug, the Governor of the Bank of Israel, and Mr. Dudu Zaken, the Supervisor of Banks, in a demand to investigate the forming settlement agreement between the Luemi Bank and the American Department of Justice, estimated at a cost of close to 2.4 billion NIS. MQG is calling to attention the need to conduct a full investigation and to establish personal responsibility of the Banks officials.

Just war against the black capital in Israel – Following Sharon Shpurer’s article in ‘TheMarker Magazine’, as well as the state comptroller’s publications, MQG contacted the Director of the Tax Authority. The movement raises questions about the efficiency and determination of the authorities as they act against politicians, and called for the Director to conduct a just and true war on the black capital in Israel.

Knesset Member Katz’s unpaid vacation from the Israel Aerospace Industries – Following the IAI board of directors decision to deny the Government Companies Authority’s request to stop Knesset Member Katz’s unpaid vacation, MQG contacted the director of the Government Companies Authority, Ori Yogev, in a call to exercise his authority and summon the members of the board to a hearing, as well as ordering the termination of their service if needed.

Disclosing Knesset Members attendance records – MQG contacted the Chairman of the Knesset, the Knesset Director-General and the Knesset secretary in a call to disclose the data regarding Knesset Members attendance during long periods of time in order to make the information available to the Israeli Public, unlike the way it is published now.

The transferring of public funds held by the Jewish National Fund in an orderly and transparent manner – MQG contacted the Chairman of the Likud party, Knesset Member Ze’ev Elkin, and the Chairman of the Israel Our Home party, Knesset Member Robert Ilatov, in a request for their parties to support an amendment to the law in a way that will establish a more orderly and transparent method for the public funds held by the Jewish National Fund to be transferred for national projects.

The National Insurance Institute of Israel withholding old-age pensions – Following a petition from the mqg to the National Insurance Institute of Israel for the denying of old-age pensions entitlements, the Institute paid tens of thousands of NIS to independent insurance members and started writing an organized procedure for implementing a correction to the calculation error that caused insurance members not to receive their entitlements.

The Ehud Olmert investigations – Media publications allegadly suggest that in one of the tapes provided to the police authorities by Shula Zaken, a very serious allegation was raised concerning a bribe collected by the former Prime Minister, Ehud Barak. This allegation was allegedly raised by the Mossad Chief. MQG contacted the Attorney General of Israel, Yehuda Weinstein, calling to investigate the suspicions raised in the tapes against Barak.

Knesset Members salary – MQG contacted the public committee for establishing the Knesset Member’s salary in a request to explain why it withdrew its recommendation against raising the salary, and requesting for it to convene shortly to discuss consumer price index linkage to Knesset Members salary in 2015 before the year’s end. “The absence of a recommendation from the committee means affectively a support in the automatic pay rise for the Knesset Members.”

Enlarged severance and excellence bonus to the outgoing Chairmen of the board of directors for the Israel Postal company – MQG contacted the Minister of Communication, the Minister of Finance and the Director of the Government Companies Authority in a call not to approve the request for enlarged severance and excellence bonus to the outgoing Chairmen of the Israel Post board of directors, Mr. Sasi Shilo. The reason for the objection is that the request was made despite the Israel Postal Company’s deep financial crisis, its continual loss of profitability, financial leaks and loss of financial stability – to the point of a real threat to its existence.

The cancellation of the “Shaked Bill” – Following the procedure held in the Israeli High Court of Justice in the matter of MQG’s petition regarding the cancellation of the Sheked bill for army service, whose outline is unlawful, having impaired equality and basic legal rights, the court was ordered to answer the following questions by the state attorney’s office: “is there no fear of increasing numbers of security service intendants to choose civil service instead?” And if so, what is the consideration made to refer intendants of the security service, to the civil service instead.

Suspected meeting between the police commissioner and Avi Benayahu – MQG contacted to state attorney, Adv. Shai Nitzan, in a call to look into the publications implying that the police commissioner, Rav Nitzav Yohanan Danino, met with Avi Benayahu, a criminal suspect in the ‘Harpaz affair’ during a stay in New York.

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October 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

Gas monopoly: Nearly a year has passed since the government decided to export its newly found natural gas, and while the drilling and energy companies have been rushing to strike deals to sell the gas, the legislative process for regulating tax rates on this monumental sale of a vast part of Israel’s natural resources is still stuck in its early stages. If the legislation is not completed soon, the losses to the Israeli public could be astronomical and incomprehensible. We called on the finance minister to speed up the legislative process in order to avoid tremendous losses; In addition, earlier this month we attended a hearing of the Knesset Finance Committee on the subject of the monopoly in the gas industry.

Petition against plea bargain with Rabbi Pinto: This month we celebrated a great achievement in our petition to the Supreme Court regarding the plea bargain signed with Rabbi Pinto. The justices decided to reject the scandalous plea bargain, which would have possibly resulted in an exemption from a prison sentence, regardless of whether Pinto were to be convicted for attempted bribery.

Following the conclusions of the Sheshinski Committee: MQG calls for the establishment of a commission of inquiry – Following the recommendations made by the Sheshinski Committee on October 2014, which do not properly address the matter of the outrageously low royalties expected from exporting natural resources, MQG along with the Israel Union for Environmental Defense calls on the Knesset to establish a parliamentary commission of inquiry to discuss the matter without succumbing to pressure or threats from groups of interest.

Bill for budget transparency: The bill hopes to put an end to the absurdity where members of the Finance Committee approve budget transfers amounting in billions of Shekels without knowing what becomes of them. MQG calls for the ministerial committee for legislation to approve the bill which will settle once and for all the matter of budget transfers in a way that will ensure transparency.

Attendance of MKs: The Knesset currently releases information showing attendance levels of MKs only in real time but not over time. As a result of this, MQG called on the Speaker of the Knesset, the CEO of the Knesset and the Knesset secretariat to alter this procedure and to publicize a complete database of attendance levels of Knesset members over time; In addition, former Speaker and current President, Reuven Rivlin, ruled in the past that a monthly reports are to be submitted to show attendance levels of MKs, however, this procedure is not currently implemented. We demand that such data will be made available to the public once again.

Petition against the appointment of Tzachi Hanegbi as Vice-Minister due to being being a convicted felon: Earlier in October, the Supreme Court held a hearing on MQGs petition which opposes the appointment of Hanegbi as Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs. This appointment is a blatant disregard to the boundaries of ethics, since Hanegbi is a convicted felon and was charged in the past with crimes involving moral turpitude.

Ending the unpaid leave of absence of MK Haim Katz: MK Haim Katz holds a double position: He serves as the Chairman of the Israeli Aerospace Industries workers union, as well a being a member of the Knesset and Chairman of the Labor Committee. This has been made possible due to currently enjoying a 21 years long unpaid leave of absence from the IAI; This causes a precarious situation that might lead to a conflict of interest (even the State Comptroller stated in his report that Katz’s conduct is unacceptable and that he used his dual role to strategically use IAI employees in the Likud primaries). MQG called on the Director of the Government Companies Authority to act towards ending Katz’s leave of absence. At the end October we received word by which he accepts our position and intends to participate in the discussion at the IAI offices where he will demand an immediate end to Katz’s leave of absence.

0-VAT plan must not promoted without presenting its cost: MQG called on the Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Finance Committee demanding that the 0-VAT bill must not be promoted before the costs of the bill and its economic repercussions are clarified to the public, as required by the Budget Foundation Act, which dictates that a bill with such broad implications must not be passed through expedited proceedings; In addition, we called on the Finance Minister to reconsider his plan, in light of the recent military campaign, due to its high cost and the harsh criticism it has received from many economists.

MQG activity results in dozens of authorities releasing information belonging to the public: In recent months, MQG has been conducting random reviews of some 100 authorities (government companies, local authorities, etc.) to determine whether they publicize certain information as required by law, such as annual reports concerning the conduct of the Authority and the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. Following the review, it became clear that dozens of authorities don’t fulfill this obligation. MQG turned to all authorities who didn’t disclose such information, which resulted in some of them publicizing the information. However, some of the authorities persisted in their objection to publicize the information, which subsequently led MQG to file petitions against them. Following these petitions, the court’s many rulings forcing all authorities to publicize the information finally came to an end in October 2014 – and thus ended the long process. Among the authorities which publicized the information due to MQG activity – Amidar, the President’s house, the Company Petroleum and Energy Infrastructures, the Galilee Development Authority, Municipality of Ofakim, Municipality of Rehovot, Municipality of Afula and more.

Objection to the bill which allows to circumvent Supreme Court Rulings: MQG turned to Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and backed her for blocking the bill, and called on her to continue in her activity in this matter. MQGs position is that the constitutional system in Israel cannot be changed in response to one ruling or another which displeases the political leadership – regardless to whether the decision is right or wrong. A civilized country cannot withstand a constitutional change whenever the political level doesn’t like a decision made by the courts.

Drafting a code of ethics for government ministers: Despite the multiple voices calling to draft a code of ethics for government ministers, the government continues to operate without such code. The State Control Committee held a discussion on the matter close to a year ago, where the need for the anchoring of ethical principles was raised – yet such rules have yet to be brought to the government’s approval. This October we called on the committee’s chairman to further address the matter in order to promote the issue and to bring to approval a code of ethics for the ministers.

Following the State Comptroller’s report on the local elections: MQG demands an investigation and indictment – A report publicized by the state comptroller found that many candidates in the local elections used illegal funds. Consequently, their expenses were not recognized and 15% of the funds were appropriated – however these measures are insufficient. We called on the Attorney General and the State Comptroller to investigate whether criminal offenses were committed, and if so, to bring to justice all parties involved.

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September 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

State comptroller report on nutritional assurance – six month ago the state comptroller issued a harsh report criticizing the government’s actions regarding poverty and nutritional assurance. 894 thousand Israelis, including 306 thousand children, have reported either not eating for a whole day or reducing the size of their meals for several months a year due to lack of money. The report indicates that the government has yet to define its policy in addressing these issues and has yet to assign funds. Six month after the report has been published, we addressed the Ministry of social affairs and social services and the Prime Minister’s office to find out whether teams were setup in order to examine the flaws, as required by law and have these teams’ resolutions were reported back to the state comptroller. We also asked for a copy of those teams’ reports, their resolutions and the deadlines assigned to each resolution.

The gas monopoly – A year has passed since the government has decided to export gas, and while gas companies rushed to sign agreements allowing them to sale the gas, the legislation processes – ensuring taxes will be paid for this enormous part of Israel’s natural resources – are only at their early stages. If legislation will not be soon completed, the financial loss for Israel’s citizens will be unimaginable. We addressed the Minister of finance demanding to expedite the legislation processes in order to prevent the financial loss.

The movement’s objection to the appointment of Oded Sarig to a senior position in “Migdal” – After Sarig was appointed to this senior position, MGQ addressed the Commissioner of the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings and to the Deputy Attorney General requesting them to stop this appointment. Sarig is the former Commissioner of Insurance and the objection is based on the fact that during his service he approved several requests for Shlomo Eliyahu, including approving a permit for control of an insurer for “Migdal”.

Cooling Period Bill – A new bill, formulated by the MGQ along with Knesset member Zehava Galon, calls for the extension of the cooling period between the time a public servant ends his public service and the time he begins his work at the private sector to 3 years, a significant extension to the one year period required by law today. The bill is intended to reduce the “Sliding Doors” effect in which public servants use their position as a stepping-stone for their jobs at the companies controlling the market, causing massive damage to the Israeli market and Israeli public as they go.

Leaks from the Security Cabinet meetings – A petition was filed by MGQ to the High-Court of Justice against the General Attorney requiring an investigation of the highly sensitive information leaked out of the Security Cabinet meetings during operation “Protection Edge”. MGQ states that such leaks, in the midst of the operation, which may endanger Israel’s security, risk Israel’s strategic interests and jeopardize the correctness of the decision making process, cannot be treated lightly.

MGQ’s objection to the “Merhav Hadolphinarium” plan – A dangerous underhanded opportunism was stopped when the Planning and Zoning Commission was about to discuss the plan without allowing organizations such as MGQ objects. After our request, the commission was forced to set another discussion in which objections will be heard. The objection, filed along with “Adam Teva V’din”, is based on the claim that this is a prolonged plan, full of flaws. The MGQ and “Adam Teva V’din” are objecting the programs for financial, legal and planning reasons, and are requesting the flaws will be amended before the plan is authorized.

A petition to the High-Court of Justice against the plea bargain with Rabbi Pinto – Following the outrageous plea bargain, which may possibly lead to the Rabbi not serving time in prison even if he is convicted in bribery, MGQ has petitioned to the High-Court of Justice requesting this deal – sending a very forgiving message in light of serious allegations – will be annulled.

Prolonging the suspension of Nazzareth Illit mayor – An important achievement is the Attorney General’s accepting of MGQ’s viewpoint. The Attorney General has requested the suspension committee to extend the next suspension period of Nazzareth Illit’s mayor Shimon Gapso, for the maximal period of one year, thus allowing the municipality to perform normally and stopping the wasting of public funds. The MGQ states that short suspension periods have caused more funds to be spent, lead to inefficiencies and impaired the mayor substitute’s ability to perform.

Addressing the members of the Nature Resources Committee: don’t cave in – MGQ, along with “Adam Teva V’din” have addressed the Nature Resources Committee and demanded its members not to withdraw from the interim conclusions and not to cave in to the high pressures and empty threats imposed on them by people of interest.

The light verdict for former mayor of Bat-Yam, Shlomo Lachiani – This light, outrageous plea bargain lead to many charges of serious offences such as bribery (which were included in the initial indictment), not to be cleared in court. It has also lead to a very light verdict. This is one of the most serious allegations a public servant may face during his service, so MGQ has addressed the Attorney General and the State Attorney demanding them to appeal to court and to request a penalty of one year in prison.

Following MGQ’s petition, a tender for the orthodox district manager in the Ministry of Education was cancelled – Following MGQ’s petition the tender was cancelled. The petition was filed since there was a serious suspicion that the tender was “fixed”, and no relevant requirements were set for such a high position. The court has decided that a new tender would be published, and this time it will include all relevant requirements.

No shortcuts in approving the “Ma’am Efes” plan – MGQ has addressed the Minister of Finance and the chairman of the Finance Committee demanding them not to go on with the plan before specifying its costs and financial implications for the Israeli public as required by the Law of Budget Foundations. The procedures for a plan with such high implications must not be shortened. Moreover, we addressed the Minister of Finance following this summer’s military operation, asking him to reconsider the plan, which is highly expensive and often criticized by economists.

Country’s Golden shares – After the Israeli government almost gave up its golden share in “Zim” (which would have lead to the loss of a highly important public asset), MGQ – in order to prevent similar cases – has addressed the Ministry of Justice and the Government Companies Authority requesting all information of companies that the government has kept a golden share in during the process of privatization.

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August 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

This new bill was written by the Movement for Quality Government (MQG) in cooperation with MK Zahava Gal-On. It calls for lengthening the cooling-off period between the retirement of a public servant from public office until he is permitted to take a job in a related field in the private sector. The bill would extend the period to 3 years from the current 1 year. The purpose of the bill is to restrict the phenomenon of the “revolving door” whereby a public servant views his role in public service merely as a spring-board to an almost immediate position in a powerful private company that does business with, or is regulated by, the government. This creates an inherent conflict of interest which can be extremely damaging to the Israeli Public.

The Movement’s Opposition to the Appointment of Oded Sarig to a Senior Position in the “Migdal” Insurance Company The Movement for Quality Government has called on the Regulator of Capital Markets, Insurance, and Savings, as well as on the deputy to the Government’s Legal Advisor, to prevent the appointment of Oded Sarig, previously the government’s Commissioner of Insurance, to a senior position in the Migdal Insurance Company. The Movement’s opposition stems from the fact that Sarig, while he was Commissioner of Insurance, approved a number of moves by Shlomo Eliahu, including one allowing Eliahu to take control of Migdal.

Leaks from Cabinet Meetings Following the publication in the media of sensitive information from the deliberations of the State-Security Cabinet meeting— which took place during the height of the “Protective Edge” military campaign—MQG turned to the Prime Minister and to the Government’s Legal Advisor demanding that they clarify whether an investigation is, in fact, being carried out into the leaking of a presentation by the IDF from the Cabinet Meeting during the military operation. In the opinion of the Movement, there can be no minimizing the gravity of such leaks from Cabinet meetings during war-time. The leaks can have a negative effect on the decision-making process within the meeting; can damage national security; and can jeopardize the strategic interests of the State.

Opening a School in the Eilabun Regional District As a result of a petition by MQG in the Nazareth District Court in February, 2014 against the Eilabun Regional Council and the Ministry of Education, the Supreme Court rejected the request of the Eilabun Regional Council to delay carrying out the judgment of the Nazareth District Court. Moreover, the Supreme Court ordered the Regional Council to complete construction of the school immediately and to open it for the coming school year on 1.9.14.

Opposition by the Movement to the Plan for the Dolphinarium Compound The MQG along with “Adam, Teva, V’din” registered its opposition to the plan for the “Dolphinarium Compound” currently before the Tel Aviv District Planning Commission. Our position is that the current plan will take too much time to implement, is too ambitious, and too full of flaws. MQG and “Adam, Teva, V’din” expressed opposition to the program on economic, legal, and planning grounds, and demanded that the defects and shortcomings that they have highlighted be corrected prior to approval by the Planning Commission.

Opposition to Transferring Control of the Phoenix Insurance Company to Mr. Jared Kushner MQG petitioned the Regulator of Capital Markets, Insurance, and Savings as well as the Deputy to the Government’s Legal Advisor demanding that they not allow Mr. Jared Kushner to take over control of the Phoenix Insurance Company. In MQG’s opinion, the present situation—in which the current management is interested in giving up its control—should be exploited in such a way as to allow the sale of Phoenix stock only through a public offering. Moreover, the proposed draft agreement between Phoenix and Jared Kushner is flawed and allows the misuse of public funds to further the personal interests of the parties to the draft agreement.

Suspected Inappropriate Appointments Within the Israel Postal Service MQG called the CEO of the Israel Postal Service and the official in charge of freedom of information within the Postal Service demanding that they accept the audit report of Accountant Yehuda Bar-Lev and examine the allegations that were aired in the media concerning appointments to the Postal Service that were improper. The Movement pointed out that as long as the appointment of senior officials in the Postal Service continues to be made improperly, there will be no chance that the Postal Service will be able to restore its financial health.

Our Call to Publish the Information Regarding Grants Given by the Chief Scientist to Pyramid Companies MQG called upon the Minister of Economic Affairs and upon the Chief Scientist in the Ministry demanding that they publish the aggregate percentage of the Ministry’s grants to companies that are controlled by pyramid companies. Our demand stems from the failure of the Ministry to implement the conclusions of a study by the Jerusalem Institute for the Study of Markets in 2011. That study pointed out that the manner in which the Chief Scientist distributed funds led directly to an increase in market concentration.

The “Salt Lands” Scandal MQG submitted an administrative petition to the Jerusalem District Court against the Ministry of Justice demanding information regarding the Ministry’s decision not to indict the Israel Salt Company which was suspected of bribing the head of the Israel Lands Authority. (In 1996 the ILA granted valuable building rights to the Israel Salt Company—held by the Dankner Family—on land in Atlit and Elat owned by the Company but zoned for industrial salt production.) In the opinion of the Movement, the refusal of the Ministry to provide the requested information indicates a grave disregard for the Law for Freedom of Information as well as for the goals underlying the law.

Extending the Suspension of the Mayor of Upper Nazareth MQG called on the Government’s Legal Advisor demanding that he instruct the Suspension Board to increase the duration of the coming suspension of the Mayor of Upper Nazareth, Shimon Gapso, to one year—the maximum permitted by law. Until now, the repeated brief suspensions of Mr. Gapso have harmed the functioning of the municipality, led to the waste of resources, and interfered with the ability of the acting mayor to carry out his duties.

Reducing the Fee for an Administrative Petition Under the Freedom of Information Law MQG called on the Minister of Justice, on the Chairman of the Knesset Law Committee, and on the office of the Government’s Legal Advisor to reduce the fee for an administrative petition under the Freedom of Information Law. The justification for our action stems from the need to file so many of these petitions due to the fact that the administrative authorities so frequently refuse to comply with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Law and promptly supply the information when first requested.

The Opposition by Minister Sylvan Shalom to the Recommendations of the Sheshinsky Commission MQG approached the Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galil, Sylvan Shalom, and pointed out to him the fact that his opposition to the Commission’s recommendations was most puzzling—especially since the Director General of his ministry was apparently absent from most of the Commission’s meetings. MDQ further pointed out that the Minister’s opposition failed to consider the need to take into account the broad public interest in this matter.

Updating the Salaries of Members of the Knesset MQG called on the Chairman of the Coalition and the Chairman of the Committee of the Knesset, MK Yariv Levin, to hold an urgent discussion in the Committee of the Knesset regarding MK salaries. Our demand stems from the fact that MK salaries were updated 8 months ago, and MQG strongly suspects that because of the long delay, when the discussion finally takes place in Committee, the recommendations of the Levy Commission will no longer be relevant. (The Levy Commission, chaired by Professor Haim Levy, recommended in June, 2014 that MK salaries not be updated—according to the customary linkage to the average salary in Israel—until the end of 2014. Suspension of the linkage would have reduced monthly MK salaries from NIS 39,000 to NIS 38,000).

The Revocation of the Appointment of the Head of Tax Collection in the Regional Council of Daburiya The District Labor Court in Nazareth adopted the recommendation of MQG and revoked the appointment of Nour El-din Youssef as Head of Tax Collection in Nazareth. Nour had previously served as the Head of Tax Collection and then ran for Chairman of the Regional Council. When he lost the election he was simply re-appointed to his former post. MQG argued that the re-appointment should have been treated as a new appointment, necessitating the publishing of a public tender.

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July 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

The Presidential Elections: MQG congratulates Reuven Rivlin, former Knight of Quality Government in 2012, upon his election as the new President of the State of Israel. The letter MQG addressed to Rivlin upon his elections wrote: “We are thrilled and proud on your election and are positive you will do the utmost for the people of Israel, out of the valence, dedication, modesty, strength and belief that characterise your civil service.”

Passing the bill for strengthening whistleblower protection: A month after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the proposal to amend the State Comptroller law, which was drafted by MQG and MK Mickey Rosenthal, witnessed the passing of the bill in its first reading in the Knesset. The purpose of this amendment is to widen the legal definition of the term “act of corruption”, thus strengthening the protection of those who reveal acts of corruption. The bill will bring an end to the outrageous reality where many whistleblowers do not receive proper legal protection, simply because the legal definition of the term “corruption” is too narrow.

A ‘Decree Nisi’ for the appointment of Deputy Minister Hanegbi due to prior conviction: Following MQG’s petition, the Supreme Court issued a ‘Decree Nisi’ (conditional order) for the appointment of the Deputy Foreign Minister, MK Tzachi Hanegbi, in which the Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister and the Government of Israel were instructed to explain why they do not revoke the appointment of MK Hanegbi as Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel. This is due to the fact that Hanegbi is a convicted felon and was previously charged with moral turpitude. The Supreme Court’s next discussion on the subject of is set for October 5th.

Defect Report on the “Dror” interchange project: MQG turned to the CEO of “Israel Roads” following the publication of the defect report describing the failures that led to postponing the opening date of the “Dror” interchange by several months. To recall, a few days prior to the initiation of the interchange, a number of infrastructure flaws were discovered, leading to postponing the opening of the interchange by several months. MQG wishes to know what steps have been taken by the company to ensure that such incidents are not to occur in future.

Examining the prices of the postal company and its services: MQG turned to the Minister of Communications, the Minister of Finance and the CEO of the Israel Postal Company, calling them to implement the recommendations of the committee that examined the prices of the postal company and its services. The committee was established due to the faulty conduct which led to the alleged severe deficit from which it suffers, and to recommend any changes necessary in order to stabilize the company’s current condition.

Complaint against the Municipality of Or Yehuda for preventing the use of a public bomb shelter for protection: MQG called on the Attorney General to investigate a complaint of a resident of Or Yehuda during Operation “Defensive Edge”, according to which the municipality’s inspection department used one of the public bomb shelters and prevented residents from using it for protection against rockets fired at the city. The problem was resolved a week later, and the shelter is since open for public use.

Call on the State Comptroller to review alleged flaws in the conduct of emergency service dispatches: MQG turned to the State Comptroller, Yoseph Shapira, to examine the conduct of the emergency service dispatches. MQG emphasized the serious incident, where three Israeli teenagers were murdered by terrorists, which revealed serious flaws in the conduct and regulations of the emergency dispatches. These flaws severely hurt the citizens’ sense of security, their trust in the authorities and may even lead to the loss of human life.

Channel 10 prohibits the appearance of convicted felons: MQG applauded the CEO of Channel 10 on his decision to ban the appearance of individuals indicted or convicted of criminal offenses. MQG believes that the appearance of indicted or convicted felons on various television programs, reduces the importance and severity of convictions and indictments, and erodes the fundamental principles of Israeli society.

Opposition to the “Dolphinarium compound” building plan: A recently submitted municipal outline plan in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, regarding the grounds of the Dolphinarium on the promenade and concerning the removal of the compound, also included an approval for the company currently leasing the compound to construct a hotel and residential building in a nearby plot. MQG, along with The Israel Union for Environmental Defence, filed their opposition to this plan, due to the many flaws and defects which characterise it, and specifically the high and non-proportional cost the public is required to carry out this plan.

MK salary update: Amid the public campaign MQG is leading against the automatic and ostentatious MKs salary update, it called on the chairman of the House Committee, MK Yariv Levin, to inform on the progress of submitting the Levy Committee recommendations for determining the salaries of MKs to the Knesset. MQG wishes to know whether and when the Knesset Committee intends to submit these recommendations to the Knesset.

Tender for Orthodox District Manager in the Ministry of Education: MQG filed a motion to the Jerusalem District Court petitioning against the Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Education to nullify the tender as it illegal and violates the principle of equality. The motion was filed after MQG turned to the Minister of Education and the Civil Service Commissioner seeking a comment on the allegations regarding a tender for the Orthodox district manager position. Concerns were raised that the professional requirements of the tender were lowered without any substantial basis, in order to suit the qualifications of candidates who did not meet the threshold requirements needed for the position.

Call to review the conduct of MK Haim Katz during the preliminary elections for the Knesset: MQG filed a request to the Attorney General to examine the conduct of MK Haim Katz during the preliminary elections for the 18th and 19th Knesset. The request came after a State Comptroller report and information received by MQG, which raise concerns of alleged improper conduct by MK Chaim Katz, who in addition to serving as a member of the Knesset, is also the chairman of the workers’ union at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). According to suspicions, Katz used his influence at the IAI to harness its workers to promote his candidacy during the primaries.

Transparency in votes of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation: MQG turned to the members of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, and to the Minister of Justice who serves as its chairwoman, calling to vote in favor of applying transparency regulations on committee votes so that all votes of Ministers in the Committee will be transparent and open to the public.

The Mossad head’s “house meeting”: MQG turned to the Prime Minister asking to him clarify the matter of the appearances by the head of the Mossad at house meetings, and whether it is clear why such appearances by the head of the Mossad before influential businessmen and women is so questionable. The address was made following an article published in “Ha’aretz” newspaper, which described the head of the Mossad as delivering a security review and sharing his thoughts in a “house meeting” of “the forum of company heads and senior businessmen in the Israeli economy”, which has some 30 businessmen.

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June 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

Elections for president – The movement congratulates Reuven Rivlin, Knight of Quality Government of 2012, for his recent election as the new President of the State of Israel. During the election, the movement followed closely the various different scandals which were exposed, and demanded that the attorney general rule whether or not Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was fit to run for president.

Cancellation of the salary increase for Knesset members – An important victory was recorded in this struggle in June 2014, when the public commission for determining the wages of Knesset members had released its recommendation to cancel the wage increase for Knesset members. It would have come to an increase of nearly NIS 1,000, which would have made the wage of Knesset members almost NIS 40,000 monthly – much higher than the norm for members of parliament in the world. The committee’s recommendation to cancel the increase came after a long struggle by MQG, during which over 21,000 citizens have signed our petition. As a part of the struggle we turned to Knesset members and decision-makers; now we are closely following the issue until the Commission’s recommendation is finally approved.

The struggle against the gas monopoly – MQG continues to act vigorously on this matter, after an outrageous decision which granted ownership of the Leviathan gas field for the next 30 years to Izhak Tshuva and his associates, while trampling the competition. The movement is striving to make sure values like transparency and protecting the public interest will be key considerations for the decision-makers on this matter. This month we have submitted a detailed position paper to the antitrust commissioner and asked him to reconsider his decision to reach a partnership agreed order. Instead, we demanded he apply his full authority and to bring real competition into the gas market.

The fight against the plague of debt forgiveness – After 94 debt arrangements (totaling NIS 21 billion within four years), this month we have witnessed what we think is going to be the largest “debt haircut” in the country’s history – NIS 5.25 billion as a part of a debt forgiveness to Zim, controlled by the Ofer family. MQG continues to fight against debt haircuts and distorted agreements, in which profits go to the tycoons and losses to the public. This month we have sent a detailed position paper–which includes operational proposals–to the Andorn Committee, which is examining in depth the issue of debt haircuts.

Publication of the Sheshinski Committee conclusions – After the publication of the Sheshinski Committee report in June 2014, MQG published its comments and submitted a position paper with listed economic and legal positions. According to MQG’s standpoint, the Committee has taken a conservative view approach that may result in missing the rare opportunity for a reform in current policies that allow tycoons to maximize realize huge profits from natural resources, while citizens of Israel are left only with crumbs. The mistake of the Committee is the decision to reduce the percentage of government royalties, which are already substantially lower than customary in many countries. In addition, the movement demanded the publication of the committee’s full protocols.

Petition against the Commissioner of Banks and the Governor of the Bank of Israel regarding the IDB affair – On the 29.06.2014 the movement appealed to the Supreme Court against the Commissioner of Banks and the Governor of the Bank of Israel demanding that they make a thorough inquiry into the banks’ conduct concerning the IDB group, the credit exception given IDB, and issues of debt collection from IDB. According to MQG, the banks acted in a way endangering public funds to the benefit of the small IDB group. The banks did not consider financial reports and balance sheets, and did not demand actualization of personal guarantees and collaterals. Moreover, the regulatory agencies did not conduct a comprehensive and systematic investigation. The movement demands such an investigation, with the drawing of systemic and personal conclusions.

The Bill to seal loopholes in the Law Against Centralization – During recent months, MQG has been promoting a bill which aims to close one of the most serious vulnerabilities in the Law Against Centralization, a loophole which permits that foreign and private companies to be not counted as levels in the control pyramid. This, in fact, legalizes huge control-pyramids, perpetuating economic centralization and jeopardizing the public’s finances.

The appeal against the appointment of Tzachi Hanegbi as Vice-Minister, due to his previous conviction – On 06.08.2014 MQG appealed to the Supreme Court against Tzachi Hanegbi’s appointment as Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs. Such an appointment crosses a dangerous red line, since Hanegbi is a convicted felon whose crime involved moral turpitude.

The Supreme Court has ordered the State to explain the new Conscription Law as part of our petition – Following a petition by MQG against the new Conscription Law, the Supreme Court has issued a conditional order demanding that the State to explain why the law shouldn’t be rescinded. The movement appealed because the new law does not meet the criteria previously established by the court during over the years and it violates the principle of equality.

The bill to strengthen whistleblower protection – MQG recorded an important achievement, as on the 29.06.2014, when the Ministerial Committee for Legislation has approved the a bill, written by the movement in conjunction with Knesset Member Mickey Rosenthal. The bill which aims is intended to strengthen the protection of whistleblowers. The bill will put an end to a situation in which many whistleblowers do not receive the protection which they should get by law, simply because the legal definition of the term “corruption” is too narrow.

Public Exposure of the Knesset Members Declarations of Personal Wealth – MQG launched an extensive public campaign demanding that Knesset Members to reveal their Declarations of Personal Wealth. The recent presidential elections have revealed that much scandalous activity is hidden beneath the surface, not infrequently, even among those who have served as members of Knesset for many years. This proves once again what the movement has claimed for a long time: – members of the Knesset Members must publically reveal their Declarations of Personal Wealth in order for the public to know about all the financial interests which MK’s hold, and to make sure that MK’s are not accumulating wealth illegally during their tenure.

Activities at the Municipal Level – A major part of MQG’s activity is on the municipal level. The following are representative examples which constitute a small part of such municipal activities by the movement in recent months. Jerusalem: Following the objection of MQG and “Adam Teva V’Din” the construction of the Agrippas parking lot in Mahane Yehuda market was delayed – since no organized plan regarding many matters–including safety–was presented as required by law. Nazareth Illit: Following a request by the movement, the Attorney General filed a motion to continue the suspension of the suspended mayor, Shimon Gapso, due to the charges filed against him. Taibeh: Following a petition by the movement, the court overturned the tender for vice president of human resources in the Taibeh municipality since it was conducted ​​in contradiction to the rules of good governance. Yesud HaMaala: The movement appealed to the local council to clarify whether the appointment of an external consultant was done legally. Nahariya: The movement appealed to the Interior Minister to investigate the allegations of improper employment of the Nahariya Municipality Treasurer.

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March 2014 | Quality Report Headlines

For full report (in Hebrew) visit our Hebrew website: http://www.mqg.org.il

After a Decade: The Supreme Court ruled in the case of the “Salt lands” – After a decade of struggle, The Israel Land Council and The Israel Land Authority were forced to null and void their agreement with the salt companies and reach a decision that reflects clear and direct conduct. This decision could affect the authority’s entire land policy in future transactions, based on solid deserve.

The Shaked Bill – Following the Conscription legislation, The Movement for Quality Government petitioned the Supreme Court to issue a conditional order, a declaratory order and an interim order, claiming that the law is unequal and should be abolished. This Government, which set forth over a year ago with many promises and an historical opportunity on the subject of equality in conscription, has given us the Shaked Bill – The Law for Equality in Sharing the Burden. This name was chosen for one of the most unequal bills passed in the country’s history. This bill tramples upon the basic rights of millions of Israelis and perpetuates the inequality, rather than permanently solving one the most painful issues in the annals of the State of Israel.

MQG’s response to the signing of the plea bargain with Shula Zaken – We applaud the prosecution’s change of position. This is contrary to what they initially claimed in light of MQG’s petition that at this stage it is impossible to bring forth new evidence, that Mrs. Zaken gave insufficient evidence and that her current version does not match her previous versions. A plea bargain agreement was ultimately signed by the prosecution and they resumed their investigation against Olmert with full force. MQG expresses satisfaction that although the petition was not accepted – its goals were ultimately achieved.

A City Council member accused of criminal activity shall not be involved in financial matters – Following MQG’s petition to the court to terminate City Council member Abu Leil’s term of office, following the severe indictment filed against him for fraud crimes, The President of the Court accepted MQG’s position and ruled that a Council member who is has been indicted with a criminal offence must not be allowed to engage in financial matters.

MQG’s petition – The Knesset must immediately appoint a permanent chairman to the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee – MQG appealed to the Supreme Court against the Knesset’s House Committee, the Committee’s Chairman, The Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and against The Knesset and to issue a conditional order to address why they will not invoke their authority and appoint a permanent chairman to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. In addition, an interim order was requested to prevent any further proceedings related to the appointment of a chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence.

The return to office of Hod Hasharon’s Mayor after declaring being incapable to serve – Following the mayor’s announcement to retract his declare of incapacitation and return to office, MQG requested that the Attorney General call as soon as possible for examining his continued tenure as mayor. “The conduct of Mr. Rochberger scorns the rule of law and fatally violates the public’s confidence in the integrity of the government in general and of local government in particular.” This according to the petition filed.

“Talmud Torah” Institutions: Changes in legislation and in governmental regulation – Following the petition by MQG regarding the lack of governmental supervision over institutions of “Talmud Torah”, an amendment was made to the Compulsory Education Law. This is in addition to requiring the payment of 15,000 NIS for covering MQG’s legal expenses.

Agreement of an external consultant to the mayor of Upper Nazareth – The Nazareth District Court accepted the argument made by MQG. The court ruled that “The municipality’s decision to approve hiring an outside consultant to the mayor and to the municipality itself, based on an undetailed price quota that does not distinguish between the fields of operation and does not adequately explain the quality of service.” The ruling followed MQG’s petition addressing concerns arising of unlawful behavior by The Municipality of Nazareth in appointing consultants and personal assistants for the mayor.

Publicizing names of elected officials who have not yet filed declarations of wealth as required by law – MQG petitioned the court to require The Interior Ministry to publicize the names of public officials serving in local councils who are yet to have filed declarations of wealth as required. MQG stated in their petition that the law requiring capital statements allows the promotion of proper norms in local government, including maintaining the integrity of elected officials in local authorities.

Concerns of infringement of rules for proper governance in The Municipality of Beit She’an – MQG turned to The Municipality of Beit She’an and to the Interior Ministry to halt all contact with attorney Moshe Gerame regarding legal advice to the municipality and with Mr. Avi Azoulay for providing PR services due to possible violations of proper administration regulations regarding the use of public funds.

Demanding the imprisonment of Rabbi Pinto – MQG appealed to The Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein and to The State Prosecutor, Shai Nitzan, demanding they deliver Rabbi Pinto to justice. This follows the publication in the media of plans for forming a plea bargain under which a lesser indictment would be filed against the Rabbi. “If this option is implemented, it would be a message of inertness – and deprivation – to the severity of the offense of bribery as one which undermines one of the most basic conventions of a democratic society.” as written in the petition.

Request for a resolution regarding the matter of indictment of Dankner who is suspected of market manipulation– MQG turned to the state attorney asking for a resolution regarding the possibility to indict Dankner who is suspected of stock manipulation.

MQG to the Minister of Finance – Exceptional wage demands by Electric Company employees are to be rejected. MQG appealed to the Minister of Finance to examine the “benefits package” of IEC workers and to reject exceptional wage demands.

MQG and The Israeli Energy Forum to the Petroleum Commissioner: Postpone the custody decision of the “Leviatan Reserve” pending a resolution of the binding arrangement – MQG and The Israeli Energy Forum contacted the Commissioner of Petroleum Affairs in The Ministry of Energy, Mr. Alexander Warshavski, with an urgent letter demanding to delay the provision of custody of the “Leviatan gas reserve” to the Noble Energy and Ratzio oil companies, and to prevent further extension of the search license. This is until the issue of the binding arrangement is resolved.

Exemption from a binding arrangement for marketers – The current bill does not solve the failures of the agriculture market which are caused by an exemption from a binding arrangement. 3,000 farmers filed a petition to the Chairman of the Economic Committee supporting the amendment and according to the version proposed by the social economic organizations.

Those responsible for approving bank loans to the IDB group – MQG appealed to the Banking Supervisor and to The Governor of the Bank of Israel to ensure that those who approved banking loans to the IDB group will be reviewed and investigated for any faulty conduct, and that those found at fault shall be held responsible for their actions.

A police investigation committee regarding the handling of the organized crime problem – MQG appealed to the Prime Minister, to The Minister of Justice and to The Interior Minister calling them to exercise their authority and order the establishment of an inter-ministerial inquiry committee to examine the conduct of the law enforcement system regarding the issue of organized crime.

A longer cooling period in public service – MQG appealed to the Prime Minister and to The Chairman of the Labor Committee, calling them to determine which senior positions in public service require a longer cooling off period than the period currently stated in the Public Service Act, which stands at a single year.

Rewarding whistleblowers – MQG appealed to the members of the Knesset’s Public Inquiries Committee for implementation of “Integrity standards”, which have not been applied for more than 15 years, claiming that the compensation for revealing corruption is mainly – termination from the workplace.