The Tel Aviv Administrative Court has ordered Mifal Hapayis, Israel’s National Lottery, to disclose information about how its allocations committee reaches decisions about spending on public projects. The order was in response to a petition by NIF grantee Freedom of Information Movement, which strives to increase the involvement of civil society in decision-making processes by making information available to the public in accordance with the Freedom of Information Law.

The Freedom of Information Law, which mandates levels of transparency for public organizations, was enacted by the Knesset in 1998 following an extensive campaign by a coalition of NIF grantees.

During 2008 Mifal Hapayis had an income of about $1 billion, of which 92 percent is invested in public projects in education, health, culture and sports. In ordering Mifal Hapayis to publish the protocols of its meetings, Judge Esther Kovo said that because Mifal Hapayis handled public money, it is the right of the public to know how decisions regarding allocations are reached.