Money Time: The Knesset plenum closed at 2:30 last night after long debates. The plenary session will reconvene this morning (Tuesday) at 10:00 and will begin the long journey towards approval of the state budget for 2023-2024.
While the opposition was busy with the regular pre-voting filibuster ceremony, the coalition focused on closing the final extremes and reached a compromise with the ultra-Orthodox parties and Otzma Yehudit Chairman Itamar Ben-Gvir over budget additions to the Negev and Galilee Ministry and transfers of an additional NIS 250 million to Avrachim.
Another NIS 250 million for Avrachim. Students at the Ponovich Yeshiva, Photo: Nati Shochat
At 19:30 p.m., coalition members will convene in the Knesset for a concentrated meeting summoned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of votes on the state budget. According to the plan, at 20:30, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will take the podium and present the state budget on the way to a long white night.
The opposition attacked this morning the state budget, which is due to be approved. MK Orit Farkas-Hacohen said this morning on Reshet Bet: "The new budget mainly guarantees security for the government and the coalition. It's a very bad budget, the government has very bad priorities. The government is reforming to encourage poverty in Israel."
"It's a very bad budget, the government has very bad priorities." MK Orit Farkas-Hacohen, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
MK Zeev Elkin, chairman of the State Camp faction, told Anat Davidov and Gideon Oko on 103: "With all due respect to political quiet for the government, a state budget cannot become a coalition budget, and that's what's happening here. There is an aid clause for ultra-Orthodox elderly as if there were no other elderly in the country. The priorities are very flawed. I am afraid that the government will last some more time, its weakness is its strength. I don't believe it will take three or four years, but it won't happen tomorrow morning either. They will continue to blackmail Netanyahu and get everything they want from him."
Former Finance Minister Dan Meridor, who previously served as Likud's finance minister, also attacked the prime minister's conduct in passing the budget, saying: "The lack of leadership is crooked. The one leading is not the prime minister, but extremist groups that feel the weakness that results not in small damage but in the long term."
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