Opposition Leader Lapid Links Security Budget Support to Haredi Funding Cuts

Opposition leader Yair Lapid is continuing his public dispute over the defense budget, demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allocate an immediate 11 billion shekels for military procurement. Lapid insists this funding can be secured by redirecting coalition funds and budgets designated for the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector, rather than through tax increases.

Lapid stated that the Knesset's Joint Committee on the Defense Budget could convene to approve the urgent procurement funds, which he claims have been pending for months. He criticized the government's allocation of funds, accusing it of engaging in "cheap political stunts" and prioritizing coalition budgets over national security.

This latest exchange follows a recent security briefing between Netanyahu and Lapid that devolved into an argument over the defense budget. Lapid has expressed support for increasing military funding but stipulated that it must come from cuts to coalition and Haredi budgets, not from raising taxes.

The Likud party has strongly refuted Lapid's claims, labeling them "baseless and false" and accusing him of misleading the public. The party asserted that state revenues have exceeded expectations and the deficit is lower than projected, allowing for a defense budget increase without new taxes. Likud also dismissed Lapid's linkage of the defense funds to Haredi budgets, stating that current coalition funding for that sector is unprecedentedly high and nowhere near previous levels. The party concluded by accusing Lapid of "abandoning Israel's security for cheap political considerations."