Treasury Confirms Millions in Coalition Funds Can Be Reallocated for Defense Budget

Approximately 60% of coalition funds allocated for the current year have not yet been committed, meaning they can be redirected to bolster the defense budget instead of necessitating cuts to public services. This revelation comes as opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut coalition funds to support an increase in defense spending.

Data from the Ministry of Finance reveals that out of roughly 5 billion shekels designated as coalition funds for 2026, approximately 3 billion shekels remain uncommitted. This figure is considered surprising given the time of year, as most funds are typically already allocated and transferred by this point.

Simultaneously, since April, when discussions about increasing the defense budget intensified following Operation "Arrow of Iron," the government has approved numerous programs and budgets totaling hundreds of millions to billions of shekels. These approvals occurred even as the need for additional defense funding was apparent.

Notable programs approved since the defense budget increase demand include 399 million shekels for local authorities, 378 million shekels for access roads to new settlements in Judea and Samaria, 100 million shekels for Jewish education abroad, 57 million shekels for Jewish identity initiatives, 54 million shekels for Haredi kindergarten funding, 30 million shekels for the Mamilla pool, 18 million shekels for rabbinical courts, and 18 million shekels for Jerusalem tourism.