On video: The government approved the state budget for 2024 15.01.2024/Video (upload): Omer Miron / L.A.M., Sound: Ben Peretz / L.A.M.
The Knesset plenum will discuss this morning (Wednesday) the additional budget bill for 2024 and accompanying bills in preparation for their approval in the second and third readings, in the shadow of the war in Gaza, and the security tensions in the north.
The discussion that began yesterday morning, and continued into the wee hours of the night, will end today at noon, when the summaries and votes will begin.
The first proposal that MKs will vote on is an additional budget bill, according to which the government spending limit for 2024 will be NIS 584.1 billion following the war expenses, the spending limit budget is about NIS 70.4 billion higher than the budget approved in May 2023: NIS 55 billion to finance military needs, and NIS 15.5 billion to finance civilian needs. The second proposal that will be discussed is to increase the deficit target in 2024 to 6.6% of GDP instead of 2.25%, as approved in May 2023. The difference in the deficit targets amounts to approximately NIS 70 billion, and is intended to finance the additional expenses required as a result of the war.
The current budget has been heavily criticized due to the fact that it includes about NIS 5.5 billion of coalition funds - of which more than NIS 1 billion is for meetings and includes, about NIS 300 million for settlements and about NIS 600 million for ultra-Orthodox private educational institutions.
In addition, hundreds of millions of shekels were allocated to goals such as strengthening Jewish identity and heritage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ministers at the cabinet meeting to approve the state budget for 2024./Government Press Office, Haim Tzach
MK Naama Lazimi (Labor) spoke tonight for 3 hours in the plenary and said that "this is the worst state budget in the history of the state, which represents a corrupt and sectoral order of priorities." According to her, "Instead of investing in growth engines, welfare and infrastructure, the government transfers billions to sectoral needs, Growth that harms equal opportunities and the weaker populations."
The Chairman of the Finance Committee, MK Moshe Gafni (Torah Judaism), harshly attacked the government ministries in the plenum that do not allow the implementation of the New Horizon program in ultra-Orthodox private education until it is possible to monitor the finances. "The money is not coming His destination is because of articles in the secular press," said Gafni. "Every day there is something against ultra-Orthodox education, that there are debts and they are not paid properly.
If it was a teacher at a secular school or an employee somewhere else, would they be silent about not paying the money?
I have a commitment to the teacher in Sderot, who is an ultra-Orthodox woman, to the teacher in Ofakim, to the teacher in Netivot."
According to him, "She sees that her friend who works in state education gets a new Ofek and her salary is much higher, and she asks me why I don't get the same?
After all, her students received the highest grades."
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