The Finance Ministry recommended closing 10 superfluous government ministries in order to offset the strain put on the budget by the war in Gaza in December 2023, including the Settlements and National Missions Ministry, Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition Ministry, and the Heritage Ministry. To date, of the ministries included in the proposal, only the Advancement of the Status of Women Ministry has been closed.<\/p>\n
\t The comptroller also highlighted the scale of bureaucratic upheaval: between 2020 and 2024, no fewer than 76 changes were made, transferring areas of responsibility between ministries, with some functions moved multiple times.<\/p>\n For instance, the Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev was moved no fewer than six times among seven different ministries since its establishment amid political maneuvering.<\/p>\n These repeated shifts, the report found, have weakened government effectiveness, eroded institutional knowledge, and wasted millions in public funds.<\/p>\n Englman singled out the government\u2019s failure to rehabilitate northern Israel as \u201cone of the most painful failures caused by the government\u2019s conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn less than two years, the government made several decisions to transfer responsibility between ministries and officials \u2014 even during a state of emergency and wartime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The lack of a consistent government approach, Englman added, contributed to fundamental failures identified in a previous June 2025 report, including the absence of a multi-year rehabilitation plan for the north and \u201cthe government\u2019s inability\u201d to return displaced residents and rebuild the region.<\/p>\n \t He called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is authorized to appoint ministers and bring structural changes to the government agenda, to \u201censure continuous and proper government functioning, while maintaining efficient service to the public even as ministries are opened, closed, or reorganized.\u201d<\/p>\n The criticism comes against a backdrop of longstanding gaps in preparedness and investment in the north. A January audit by Englman\u2019s office found that the Home Front Command had frozen the \u201cNorthern Shield\u201d program, launched in 2018, to prepare Israel\u2019s northern civilian front for emergencies, including by addressing bomb shelter shortages, after the government transferred only about 52% of the roughly NIS 3 billion ($960 million) allocated for the project.<\/p>\n According to the comptroller, the government approved a multi-year program without allocating the necessary budget.<\/p>\n More than 60,000 residents of northern communities were evacuated when Hezbollah began attacking Israel with rockets, missiles and drones a day after Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, invasion. In late 2024, Israel launched a massive campaign against the group that caused it immense damage, and which ended in a November 2024 ceasefire.<\/p>\n Since the fighting in Lebanon was renewed on March 2, Hezbollah has been relentlessly bombarding northern communities, firing around 2,500 rockets and around 300 drones at Israel, according to the IDF.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t THIS MONTH ONLY: Join our reader support group for as little as $6\/month and receive an exclusive tote bag featuring one of Israel\u2019s native birds.<\/p>\n Choose between the\u00a0Duchifat (orange), Israel’s national bird, or the Shaldag (blue), a beloved symbol of the Israeli landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a member of the Times of Israel Community,\u00a0you’ll also enjoy:<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-07-27-at-20.49.50-640x400.jpeg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tFinance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strock attend a ceremony to distribute all terrain vehicles and other security and logistical equipment to illegal farming outposts in the West Bank at the Sde Ephraim settlement, July 27, 2025. (Shahar Cohen\/Benjamin Regional Council Spokesperson\u2019s Department)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F260416AMA09-1-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tSmoke rises from Kiryat Shmona after a rocket fired by Hezbollah struck the city, April 16, 2026 (Ayal Margolin\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWhich gorgeous bird do you prefer?\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Untitled-design-3-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\nAn ad-free experience of our site and podcasts.
\nExclusive access to award-winning films via DocuNation.
\nWeekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin ToI Community & claim my bag\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tCLAIM YOUR BAG\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our wartime journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/DH-new-headshot-circular-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n