The Israel Tax Authority has suspended processing of war-damage compensation claims for Bnei Brak residents following a violent attack on its inspectors in the city. The freeze will remain in effect until the municipality issues a public condemnation of the incident.
Israel Tax Authority Director Shay Aharonovitz announced the decision Friday in a letter to Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert, instructing officials to halt work on compensation claims related to damages from Operations "Am K'Lavi" And "Roar of the Lion" Until the city publicly denounces the assault.
The action follows an incident in Bnei Brak's Kiryat Vizhnitz neighborhood where Tax Authority inspectors were attacked while conducting their duties. Video footage showed a crowd surrounding the inspectors' vehicle, pelting it with eggs and damaging its windows before police officers arrived and rescued those inside.
In his letter, Aharonovitz noted that the inspectors had come to the city as part of their official responsibilities when they were violently assaulted and required police extraction. He characterized this as the second attack targeting Tax Authority personnel in recent weeks and said the Bnei Brak municipality had not publicly condemned either incident.
Aharonovitz stated that Tax Authority employees would not resume operations in Bnei Brak until the municipality issues "a clear and unequivocal public statement denouncing the violence." The Compensation Fund has been directed to suspend all processing of war-damage claims submitted by city residents.
The Tax Authority director requested that the municipality's condemnation be published in media outlets serving the Chareidi community. The freeze on compensation claims will remain in place until such a public statement is issued.