September 2018

 September 2018 Activity Summary

Winners of 2018 Knight of Quality Government Award  

The public committee announced the current year’s winners:

  1. In the Judiciary category – Supreme Court President (retired) Miriam
  2. In the Legislature category – KM Uri Maklev of Yahadut Hatorah party.
  3. In Military and Defense category – former Chief Military Advocate General, Major-General (res.) Danny Efroni.
  4. In Executive Authority category – former Chairperson of Israel Securities Authority Shmuel Hauser.
  5. In Communication category – reporter Baruch Krah of Channel 10.
  6. In Criticizing Authority category – past auditor of Mevaseret Tzion local council Eelanit Gohar.
  7. In Public Social Struggle category – Nidal Hayak of NGO “Lawyers for Good Governance”, (and) former Commissioner of the Capital Market Dorit Salinger.
  8. In Integrity category – IAI whistleblower Michael Merav.
  9. In Education and Culture category – Kerem-El Pre-Military Druze College.

 

The public committee of this year was headed by Judge (retired) Dalia Dorner; its members were: Chairman of the Movement for Quality Government Adv. Dr. Eliad Shraga, Dr. Martin Weil, Ms. Merav Arlozorov, Ms. Adina Bar-Shalom, CPA Lili Ayalon, Prof. Aryeh El’ad.

 

Following the report indicating faults in IDF preparedness to war, we demanded the Defense Minister to establish an examination committee

Last month the Commissioner of Soldiers’ Complaints submitted his report on the Army’s preparedness to the Minister of Defense and to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The report presents a worrisome condition: gaps in equipment inventory, errors in assimilating communication means, faults in matching between warfare plans and training array, lack of manpower. These issues make only part of the severe problems presented in the report, problems that might charge a heavy price when put to trial in the worst possible situation. In spite of IDF’s optimistic response that claimed preparedness and high adequacy for warfare and victory, there is reason for concern: more than 250 pages of documents and of soldiers’ and officers’ testimonies are worrying enough. The Chief of Staff instructed IDF’s comptroller to investigate the claims, but this won’t be enough – the system will have difficulties in checking itself from the inside. Only an independent, unbiased external factor will have the ability to genuinely check, report and reveal the truth.

 

We addressed the Attorney General of Israel following Ze’ev Elkin’s speech that, according to notifications, cost the public ILS 700,000

The media reported that in return to ILS 700, 000 given by the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the related minister Ze’ev Elkin was granted the right of speaking at the News Company’s Influential Conference in Binianey Ha’uma, Jerusalem. To many of the attendants there the speech sounded as a sheer elections speech, given Elkin’s running for the role of Jerusalem’s Mayor. Since using public assets for elections campaign is legally prohibited, we addressed accordingly the Attorney General. We also demanded Elkin to submit us the relevant legal opinion.

 

After years of legal struggle: Cash&Carry company will finally return the money it owes to the Public

The Public’s triumph in a story started in 1992: Cash&Carry Company will pay tens of millions of Shekels it owes to Israel Land Authority and will also return 9 dunams of land and 100,000 sq. meters of building rights.

At the beginning of 1990s Sami Shamoon Group received, exempt from tender, 33 dunams in Netanya industrial zone for the purpose of establishing a food wholesale center that will support reducing the cost of living. In fact, Cash&Carry built there the Y Center, an entertainment area whose link to reducing the prices of products is nonexistent. It actually contains businesses, a cinema hall, brand stores and restaurants – all of them contrary to the original contract. Revealing – 4 years ago – the negotiation between Cash&Carry and Israel Land Authority regarding the breach of agreement, we demanded the Authority to submit to us materials relevant to the Company’s obligations and to let us know what measures were taken by the Authority when the breach had been revealed. However, the Company petitioned to the court to prohibit the Authority’s submitting of information to us.

It is all about information which the Public has got full right to know: a huge piece of land handed by the State without any tender and a related contract that had been breached. In July 2016 the court ruled that this information indeed belonged to the Public. When the documents were finally exposed, we discovered that for whole 9 years Israel Land Authority was aware of the breach of contract default but acted very little to handle the case.

At the beginning of 2018 we petitioned to the court in hope of stopping this foot-dragging.

This month, after so many years, tens of applications and two petitions, we have won: what had been robbed from the Public, will be returned to it.

We have no answer, though, to the question why it took so long to implement this justice.

 

#notvotingcorruption: as the municipal elections approach, we cross the country in demand of the candidates to sign the Convention for Fighting against Corruption

With the municipal elections approaching, we are in the midst of the comprehensive campaign #notvotingcorruption. With this declaration we arrive at various places all over the country, initiating meetings in which the elections candidates take part and are being asked to explain what exactly, in case they are elected, they intend to do in order to fight corruption. In these events we demand of the candidates to sign the Convention (which we have formulated) for Fighting against Corruption. Many of the candidates signed the Convention, by which act they expressed a significant commitment to the Public.

So far we had such events in Ramla, Yeruham, Hertzlia, kfar Saba, Acco, Ramat Hasharon, Zichron Ya’akov, Hadera, Rishon Le’tziyon, Hod Hasharon, Haifa, Yahud, Lod and more.

Events are on the go – we plan also for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Bat Yam, Modi’in, Gush Etzion, Ashdod, Ramat Gan and more.

We call all of the candidates to be committed to fighting against corruption, to act transparently, to secure integrity, to avoid conflict of interests and mainly – to never breach the trust granted to them by the Public.

 

Adv. Nili Even-Hen, head of our Economic Department, was crowned 10th in TheMarker’s 2018 List of 100 Influencial People

The Movement’s Economic Department was founded by Adv. Even-Hen 15 years ago and since then has been struggling constantly to guard the Public Money, natural resources and assets that belong to the Public. The Department’s activity is not only about specific struggles but basically about changing the whole construction and uprooting the problems. It is about getting up each morning to fight against the System, stand bravely in front of giant banks and corporations, withstand when confronting aggressive monopolies, and unhesitatingly criticize the regulating and supervising factors. All of these actions intend to protect yours – the Public’s – money from the grip of Capital-Government. This issue not always wins the main headlines but it has got enormous effect on the life of each one of us.

For Nili and the Department “Cost of Living” and “Capital-Government” are not slogans or decrees of fate but a changeable reality, changeable indeed.

Whoever worked alongside Nili can witness that determination, daring, a lot of research, and the belief that no factor is too strong, prove that there is no such thing as “an unmovable mountain”.

Directed by Nili, to this day the Department has saved the Public some billions of Shekels. It has no intention to stop its activity no matter what.

Following Nili’s remarkable presence in TheMarker 2018 List of Influencial People, we applaud her, and greatly thank her and the Department’s employees and volunteers of all times for their meaningful and significant continuous activity.