The Knesset Finance Committee is scheduled to convene on Tuesday for a special meeting to approve the government's request to transfer NIS 3.95 billion ($1.14 billion) to the defense budget. Once the transfer of funds gets the green light, the 2014 defense budget will stand at approximately NIS 60 billion ($17.3 billion.) The committee is also expected to approved the allocation of NIS 30 million ($8.65 million) to secure settlements in Judea and Samaria and NIS 42 million ($12.1 million) to cover emergency civilian costs incurred by local authorities. According to some assessments, the direct cost of Operation Protective Edge is predicted to total between NIS 5 billion and NIS 6 billion ($1.4 to $1.7 billion.) In addition to the direct costs of the operation, collateral damage from the operation is currently being assessed at NIS 750 million to NIS 1 billion ($216 million to $288 million). As of Sunday morning, Israelis could download the forms needed to apply for monetary compensation for damages incurred during the war from the Israel Tax Authority website, and centers were being opened in Beersheba, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Sderot to help residents of the south file their claims. Additional offices are scheduled to open in Tel Aviv, near the government office complex, and in Ramat Gan. Only residents and businesses located within 40 kilometers (25 miles) of the Gaza border will be eligible for compensation. While only businesses located within that range will be able to file claims, fruit growers throughout Israel suffered as a result of the operation, with total damage to the sector estimated at some NIS 20 million ($5.8 million), causing fruit prices to jump. The price of bananas in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market at the end of last week, for example, had more than doubled, standing at NIS 13 per kg (approximately $1.70 per pound) compared to NIS 4.5 to NIS 5.5 per kg ($0.59-$0.72 per pound) before the start of the operation. Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi) said that the high price of fruit "raised the cost of living and hurt the farmers' profits," and said that the Agriculture Ministry should take steps to ensure that the price of produce remain as close as possible to the wholesale price paid to farmers.
