In accordance with the 2023 biannual actual spending report released by the Finance Ministry, the actual spending earmarked for the Ministry of Interior and National Security was (ILS1,875.9) million, of (ILS8,196.4) million of the overall biannual actual spending of the 2023 general budget, or (22.89%) of the overall expenditures.
In accordance with the 2022 biannual actual spending report, released by the Ministry of Finance, the actual spending earmarked for the Ministry of Interior and National Security was (ILS1,727.2) million of (ILS7,491.5) million of the overall biannual actual spending in 2022, or (23.06%) of the overall expenditures.
Analysis of biannual comparative actual spending for the Ministry of Interior and National Security for 2022-2023
One: Biannual actual spending for the Ministry of Interior and National Security in 2023 was higher than in 2022 by 8.5% more than in the first half of 2022 and by a surplus amount of ILS148.8 million.
Two: Actual spending on the Ministry of Interior and National Security in 2023 was 22.8% of the overall public expenditures in Palestine; in the first half of 2022 it was 23%, which was approximately the same spending percentage.
Three: Actual spending is mostly used on salaries and wages and social contributions, taking up the lion’s share of the of Ministry of Interior and National Security budget, by 88% of overall actual spending in the first half of 2023. In this period, spending increased on salaries and wages in comparison to the same period in 2022; from of ILS1,410.6 million to ILS1,496.4 million in 2023. The main reason for this is the periodical annual increase in salaries and the financial impact of promotions and ranks in the security sector. It should be noted that the data is on an accrual and not monetary basis given that the government still only cashes partial employee salaries.
Four: An increase in actual spending on goods and services in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022, by a statistically significant percentage. Actual spending went up from ILS141.43 million in the first half of 2022 to ILS174.12 million in the first half of 2023.
Five: Developmental expenditures increased at the Ministry of Interior and National Security in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, from ILS33.56 million to ILS52.93 million.
Six: There was also an increase in capital expenditures in the first half of 2023 compared to 2022, from ILS1.32 million to ILS5.58 million.
Seven: In general, there was an increase on all actual spending items for decision-making positions at the Ministry of Interior and National Security in the first half of 2023, compared to the first half of 2022.
It can be noted from the analysis of biannual comparative actual spending for 2022-2023 that actual spending on the Ministry of Interior and National Security increased in the first half of 2023 from the first half of 2022. While the percentage of the Ministry of Interior and National Security’s ‘share” in overall expenditures remained the same, in practice, there was an increase on all items. Salaries and wages and social contributions took up the biggest percentage of expenditures in the security sector, amounting to approximately 88% of the expenditures allocated to the Ministry of Interior and National Security in the first half of 2023. Even though the security sector takes up around 23% of actual expenditures, the percentage of women in the security sector is still low, at an average of only 6%.
Spending indicators from a gender perspective
Although the security sector took over approximately 23% of the actual spending for the first half of 2023 and salaries and wages around 88% of the actual spending from this security sector, still this percentage was not gender-responsive. The percentage of women in the security sector is still low, averaging only 6%. Hence, there is a gap in actual spending on the security sector from a gender perspective given that the majority of actual spending in the first half of 2023 was spent on salaries and wages, or around ILS1.5 billion. Given that the percentage of women is low in the security sector and that they are not proportionally distributed in the upper echelons of high-ranking positions, they only benefit with a percentage of 5% at highest, from this sizeable spending on salaries and wages. This percentage does not correspond with the percentage of women in Palestinian society, nor does it coincide with gender-responsive spending justice.