Israel Approves Billions for Urgent Defense Procurement
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
The Israeli government approved billions of shekels for urgent defense procurement through a telephone vote, drawing funds from the 2026 budget and future years. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced plans to acquire new squadrons and increase the defense budget significantly. The funds were previously approved but not yet transferred, with a senior defense official noting it wasn't an emergency. This comes after Israel missed a deadline to order Apache helicopters from the U.S.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The Israeli government approved billions of shekels for urgent defense procurement.
- Funds will be sourced from the 2026 budget and future years, including cuts to other ministries.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu announced plans to purchase new squadrons and increase the defense budget.
- The procurement decision follows Israel missing a deadline to order Apache helicopters from the U.S.
- A senior defense official stated the funds were known and not an emergency.
The Israeli government approved an urgent allocation of billions of shekels for "urgent defense procurement that cannot be delayed" in a snap telephone vote on Wednesday. The funds will be drawn from the 2026 budget, through a sweeping cut of 2-3 billion shekels from various government ministries, as well as from budgets designated for 2027-2029. Notably, some of the money is expected to be diverted from funds previously earmarked for a five-year plan for the Arab society in Israel.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that Israel will purchase new squadrons and increase the defense budget by 350 billion shekels by May 2026. Officials from the defense establishment confirmed that these funds had already been approved by the Prime Minister but had not yet been transferred. A senior defense official told Ha'Yom newspaper that while the Ministry of Finance's method of sourcing the money through cuts is their decision, the funds were known in advance and did not constitute an emergency situation requiring immediate action from the Treasury.
This decision comes after Israel recently missed a deadline to order 12 Apache attack helicopters from the United States, following two previous extensions granted by the U.S. Department of Defense. The procurement of these helicopters was part of the Israel Defense Forces' conclusions regarding the range of threats anticipated in the coming years. The deadline for ordering the helicopters passed on October 7th of this year.
