Since the beginning of the war, the coalition and opposition have exercised restraint and avoided confrontations. This situation will end with the vote on the budget.
On Monday, a meeting was held in the Knesset presidency, where representatives of the opposition parties, MK Merav Ben-Ari Mish Atid and Evgeny Sova of Yisrael Beiteinu, said that they intend to fight the passage of the budget with all the tools at their disposal.
Opposition deliberations (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Since October 7, there has been agreement and cooperation between the coalition and the opposition on legislative issues in the Knesset. Even before Benny Gantz entered the government, who made non-legislative issues unrelated to the war a condition in the Knesset, there was already an agreement between the coalition and the opposition not to put such issues to a vote in the Knesset. Under the auspices of the agreements, quite a few laws related to the state of war have been passed in recent weeks, such as providing compensation to the families of abductees, raising salaries for reservists, extending detentions for terrorists, and much more.
Now, at least on the issues of approving the state budget, the agreements are ending, and although the state budget has about NIS 30 billion for the war, the opposition intends to make it difficult to pass it in the Knesset.
Prepare for hours of speeches. Knesset plenum, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Stipulated that legislation be passed only by consent. Gantz, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
May significantly delay
It is doubtful whether the opposition can torpedo the passage of the budget, but it can certainly cause a significant delay through the use of parliamentary tools. According to the opposition's plan, they will raise reservations, make long speeches and try to do everything possible to delay the passage of the law, and perhaps even bring it down. As is well known, a state budget that does not pass topples the government, and this is what the opposition will aspire to.
Voting on the budget is expected to begin as early as next week. The opposition explains that the state budget is an opportunity to topple the government, and in addition, they say that the budget contains coalition funds that they oppose and therefore will act against it.
The coalition was outraged, saying: "The state budget has NIS 17 billion that needs to be transferred for security needs and another NIS 13.5 billion for civilian needs related to the war. How is it possible that the opposition even thinks of delaying this? What will she delay? The transfer of money to evacuees from the kibbutzim? The transfer of funds for the rehabilitation of the region of revival? The funds intended for residents of the south and north? For businesses collapsing? It's unbelievable. If we had opposed the passage of such an important budget at such an important time, we would have been publicly lynched. It's a disgrace."
Evacuated from the Gaza envelope at the Shefayim Hotel. Will the opposition delay the transfer of funds?, Photo: Efrat Eshel
Meanwhile, quotes from the cabinet meeting held on Monday evening to approve the budget were published. As you may recall, members of the state camp voted against passing the budget. Minister Yifat Shasha Biton said at the cabinet meeting: "The entire budget should have been channeled to the fighting effort, and what you brought here for approval smells like political activity under the cover of the war. It contributes nothing but, on the contrary, only continues the damage to the public's trust. That's why I'll vote against it."
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