On video: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at a preparatory discussion for the state budget_13.02.23 (L.A.M.)
A special government meeting will convene this morning (Thursday) in order to approve the state budget for the coming year.
The law, which requires the government to pass a budget within 145 days of its creation, urges ministers to reach agreements in a short time - otherwise it will fall apart.
This meeting, which is supposed to be the result of the labor of the finance representatives with all the different ministries, will convene despite the voices of senior finance officials who say that "the budget is not ready".
Ahead of the meeting that is supposed to distribute the budget, it appears that almost no agreement has been made between the ministries, and until the last minute there are inter-ministerial discussions about the preparations.
At the same time, the urgent demands of some ministries, as well as the public pressures, only increase.
Finance Minister Smotrich and Prime Minister Netanyahu (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel)
Among the gaps that stand out are the budget requirements that the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gabir, stated about a month ago, in preparation for the upcoming Ramadan holiday.
This, after the National Security Committee met yesterday with the participation of the representatives of the security bodies under it.
The representatives alerted one after the other about gaps in resources and manpower.
The Ministry of Defense, Transportation and Education will also try to pull as many strings as possible in order to succeed in getting a proper budget for the reforms they intend to pass.
The portfolio holders, including Miri Regev, who informed the Minister of Finance about the reform in the Ministry of Transportation through the media, and Yoav Galant, with whom Smotrich conducts a power struggle in the Ministry of Defense - will have to be creative in negotiations and put heavy pressure on the Minister of Finance and the representatives of the ministry.
Tonight, a joint statement was issued to Smotrich, Gallant, Chief of Staff Halevi and Prime Minister Netanyahu that an agreement had been reached on a multi-year plan in the security establishment and the IDF.
The members of the government and the finance representatives are planning a particularly long meeting, which will start tomorrow morning and will not end until white smoke comes out.
A test hour for the ministers to obtain a budget suitable for their purposes, who will try to press as much as possible - even at the cost of voting against the budget.
news
Political-political
Tags
the state budget
Government meeting