State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman met today (Monday, February 26, 2024) with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of a conference of the organization in Paris where the comptroller is speaking, and as part of the comptroller's planned assumption of the position of President of EUROSAI, the European Organization of Comptrollers, this coming May.
Engelman seized the opportunity of meeting with Secretary General Korman to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crime committed by Hamas, holding 134 captives in its custody.
"I want to tell you about the most painful issue for the State of Israel in the last 143 days," said Comptroller Engelman to the organization's Secretary General. "Over 1,200 more people were massacred in a war crime the likes of which the Jewish people have not endured since the Holocaust. As we speak here, 134 of our citizens, including women, adults and two toddlers, children of the Bibas family, are still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip after being abducted from their homes. At this very moment, the hostages are suffering physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at the hands of Hamas terrorists. They are denied proper medical treatment and adequate nutrition, in violation of the rules of war. I chose to share with you the personal story of an employee in our office, Ronen Karavani, whose family members were kidnapped to Gaza: his nieces, Daniel Aloni and Sharon Kunio, were kidnapped with their young daughters, Amelia, Emma, and Yuli, and were released three months ago as part of the hostage deal. David Kunio, Sharon's husband; his brother Ariel, his spouse Arbel Yehud and her brother Dolev Yehud remain in Gaza. The entire people of Israel hope and pray for the return of all the hostages. It is important for the international community to join forces on this humanitarian issue and do everything possible to secure their release."
Comptroller Engelman added that "in the shadow of the war period in Israel, we are expected to publish reports in the coming month on environmental issues, in which we will also address assessments for the reduction of environmental damage in the face of missile threats. This is in addition to a comprehensive follow-up audit of the country's preparedness for the climate crisis. These issues are also relevant to many European countries, at this time in particular."
At today's meeting, I would like to formalize and increase cooperation between EUROSAI and the OECD. I see great importance in cooperation with the OECD and wish to thank the Secretary-General and heads of the organization for the meeting and the conference hosted by them.
"In Israel, there is much talk about the need to prepare for the day after the war from the defense perspective. However, Israel must also prepare for the day after from the economic standpoint. As a matter of fact, we are examining a number of economic issues in the special audits we are currently conducting."
OECD reviews, including comparative data of member countries and its recommendations, are highly significant for all state comptrollers and particularly for us in Israel. This is in light of the need to scrutinize government activity in the economic sphere, given the recent credit rating downgrade by Moody's."
Photo: Andrew Wheeler, ©️ OECD