Behadrei HaredimPolitics13:28

Israeli Government Approves NIS 2.6 Billion Budget Cuts for Defense Purchases

By יחיאל פרבר

Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba

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Hebrew · 18 newsrooms covering

The Israeli government approved a NIS 2.6 billion budget cut across ministries on Sunday to fund urgent defense procurement, excluding coalition funds from the reduction. The cuts, totaling 4.9%, will affect most ministries except defense, impacting budgets for education, national security, health, and welfare. Legal advisors warned of significant consequences for ministry operations, but the government proceeded citing security needs.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

The government approved NIS 2.6 billion in budget cuts for urgent defense procurement.
The 4.9% reduction will impact all ministries except the Ministry of Defense.
Coalition funds were explicitly excluded from the budget cuts.
The Ministry of Education will lose NIS 285 million, and the National Security Ministry NIS 225 million.
Legal advisors warned of significant negative consequences for government operations.
The decision was made despite legal reservations and citing security needs.

Israeli Government Approves NIS 2.6 Billion Budget Cuts for Defense Purchases — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

The Israeli government approved a sweeping NIS 2.6 billion budget cut across ministries on Sunday, to fund urgent defense procurement. The 4.9% reduction will affect all ministries except the Ministry of Defense. Notably, coalition funds were spared from the cuts, despite recommendations from professional staff at the Ministry of Finance to utilize them instead of impacting ministry budgets. The government rejected the finance ministry's professional recommendation and proceeded with the across-the-board cuts.

The funds allocated to the Ministry of Defense are designated for classified procurement, the details of which were not disclosed in the decision proposal. Significant cuts include NIS 285 million from the Ministry of Education, NIS 225 million from the Ministry of National Security, NIS 150 million from the Ministry of Health, and NIS 140 million from the Ministry of Welfare. These reductions will also impact budgets already allocated for implementing previous government decisions.

While the specific defense procurement and its security justifications were not detailed, the document stated that security officials warned that delaying the budget approval until after the formation of the next government could compromise essential security responses. The decision was made despite legal reservations raised prior to its approval. Dudi Kofel, the Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Finance, cautioned in his opinion that such a substantial cut near the end of the year would have significant consequences for government ministries' operations. Kofel suggested that alternative options might cause less disruption and advised the government to examine the implications and other possibilities before making a final decision.