Finance Ministry
Israeli-media coverage mentioning Finance Ministry, translated into English and compared across sources. 48 recent stories.
Israeli Finance Ministry Delays Government Fleet Leasing Plan, Citing Review and Possible China Concerns
Israel’s Finance Ministry has delayed a major plan to move the government fleet to operating leases. Officials are still reviewing the model, while industry sources say concern ov…
IDF officer outlines steps to extend service and recruit more Haredim
Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb said the IDF needs to extend compulsory service back to 36 months because of a severe manpower shortage. He also said the army has made unprecedented efforts…
Israel Expands Physical Therapy Studies, but Staff Say New Posts and Pay Reform Are Still Missing
Israel approved a new expansion of physical therapy studies, adding about 50 first-year places at three institutions. Educators and therapists say the move will not ease shortages…
Treasury Official Warns Israel Faces a Dangerous Postwar Debt Trap
Finance Ministry budget official Tamara Levi Banna warns that October 7 has made it politically harder to restrain defense spending. She says Israel risks a debt spiral unless the…
Israel Weighs Grant Funds to Offset Weak Dollar Damage to Tech
Israel’s Finance Ministry and Innovation Authority are considering two grant funds to help tech firms hurt by the weak dollar. The larger fund would support growth companies and m…
Smotrich Says Security Funds Should Not Go to LGBTQ Programming
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich defended Shin Bet chief David Zini after reports he canceled Pride-related displays and events. Smotrich said security funds should not be used f…
Smotrich to unveil high-tech aid plan, mulls dollar tax payments
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will present a high-tech aid package next week as the shekel strengthens. He also said the Finance Ministry is weighing incentives for mu…
State Interest Costs Surge in 2025, Surpassing Transport Ministry Budget
Israel’s 2025 deficit fell to 98.6 billion shekels, but debt interest costs jumped to 49.2 billion shekels, more than the Transport Ministry’s budget. The war drove defense spendi…
Regulators Move to Overhaul Bank Trading Fees After Record NIS 3.5 Billion Haul
Israel’s Bank of Israel, Securities Authority and Finance Ministry have published a three-stage plan to overhaul securities trading fees at the big banks. The reform aims to simpl…
State Auditor Finds Government Property Managed Without Updated Mapping or Security Data
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said the Finance Ministry’s Government Housing Administration manages thousands of state properties without an updated inventory. The report al…
State Comptroller Urges Fewer Coalition Budget Transfers After December Surge
State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman called on the Finance Ministry to reduce and advance budget transfers to improve parliamentary oversight. His report said 77 transfers totalin…
Bank of Israel Task Force Seeks to Expose Hidden Investment Advice Fees
A joint Bank of Israel, Securities Authority, and Finance Ministry report wants to make banks' investment advice fees transparent. It says hidden commissions create a conflict of…
State Auditor Flags Unfixed Pension Administration Failures as Liabilities Near NIS 42 Billion
A State Comptroller report says most previous defects in Israel’s State Employees Pension Administration remain unresolved. It warns that pension liabilities reached NIS 374 billi…
War Damage Put Cooking Gas Supply at Risk as Israel Remains Unprepared for Refinery Shutdown
A State Comptroller audit found that war damage, maintenance and breakdowns sharply reduced LPG output at Israel’s two refineries in 2025. The report warns that the state is not r…
Smotrich unveils compensation plan for businesses hit by extortion
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is advancing a 30 million shekel compensation plan for businesses damaged by extortion and left uncovered by insurance. The scheme, developed wit…
U.S.-Iran understanding rattles markets and points to a bigger Israeli defense budget
A new U.S.-Iran understanding is weakening the shekel, nudging up Israel’s risk premium and reinforcing expectations of higher defense spending. The Finance Ministry and Defense M…
National Insurance fund heads toward a 10 billion shekel deficit this year
Israel’s National Insurance Institute is heading toward a 10 billion shekel deficit this year, with a possible 23 billion shekel shortfall by 2030. A Finance Ministry forecast and…
Rent Premiums for Shelters Surge as Demand for Safe Rooms Reshapes the Market
Yad2 says apartments with fortified shelter rooms are renting for far more than similar units without them across Israel. The biggest gaps reach nearly 50% in some cities, while b…
Committee Examines Who Can Suspend or Fire West Bank Community Security Chiefs
The Knesset subcommittee on Judea and Samaria held a special hearing on who can suspend or fire rabshatzim, the community security coordinators in the West Bank. MK Zvi Sukkot sai…
Knesset panel approves metropolitan transit reform after years of delays
The Knesset Economics Committee approved a bill to create metropolitan transport authorities, a major reform aimed at decentralizing Israel’s public transit system. The proposal n…
High Court Signals It May Overturn Yahuda Eliyahu’s Appointment as Israel Land Authority Chief
Israel’s Supreme Court is leaning toward striking down Yahuda Eliyahu’s appointment as head of the Israel Land Authority. Eliyahu was chosen after ranking first with 93 points, bu…
Treasury Warns Repeal of Kosher Reform Could Cost Public NIS 750 Million a Year
Israel's Finance Ministry says repealing the kosher certification reform would cost the public NIS 750 million a year. The bill passed its first reading and would restore the Chie…
Finance Ministry Moves to End Premium Discounts for Yeshiva Students and Students
Israel’s Finance Ministry is preparing to end reduced National Insurance and health payments for yeshiva and university students, raising the monthly charge from 171 to 266 shekel…
Former National Insurance chief calls treasury surplus deal unlawful
Former National Insurance Institute chief Meir Spiegler defended the 2018 long-term care reform and rejected a State Comptroller claim that it hurt the agency’s finances. He also…
Civil rights group petitions Israel’s High Court over diversion of Arab-sector transport funds
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned the High Court, saying transport funds meant for Arab communities were redirected to projects near Jewish towns. The petition…
Workplace trauma is becoming a labor-market problem, panel says
A panel at a ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth conference said post-trauma is increasingly affecting Israeli workers and employers. Speakers called for government action, manager training…
Israel to Ease REIT Rules to Boost Long-Term Rental Housing
Israel is preparing to ease tax and regulatory rules for REITs to spur long-term rental housing. The committee’s recommendations would let funds sell more apartments without losin…
Ilana Cohen, Former Nurses Union Chair and Knesset Member, Dies at 82
Ilana Cohen, former head of Israel’s nurses union and a Knesset member from 2003 to 2006, died Sunday at 82. The Iraq-born nurse became a central figure in major labor battles tha…
Doctors Are Buying Pricier Homes Than Tech Workers, Finance Ministry Data Shows
Finance Ministry data says Israeli doctors are buying pricier homes than high-tech workers, contradicting a common salary narrative. The gap appears both in purchase prices and in…
Knesset Push to Grant Beer Sheva Tax Break Draws Cost and Fairness Criticism
Knesset lawmakers are advancing a Beer Sheva tax break that would cost about 600 million shekels a year, though the committee review was delayed. The article says the plan is part…
Disabled Veterans Organization Rejects Claims It Targeted PTSD-Disabled Fighters
Israel’s Disabled Veterans Organization denied that its internal comments were directed at PTSD-disabled veterans, saying they targeted a small group that had harassed the leaders…
Dimona mayor threatens to freeze housing agreements over Finance Ministry policy
Dimona Mayor Beni Biton threatened to stop all framework housing agreements with the Finance Ministry if policy does not change. He said each new apartment costs the city NIS 5,00…
Road Deaths Reach 200 in Israel as Experts Warn of Another Deadly Year
Israel has logged 200 road deaths and 821 serious injuries since the start of the year, including eight deaths in the past week. Experts say the apparent improvement over 2025 is…
Smotrich Tells Supreme Court Justices to Form a Party If They Want to Pick Judges
Bezalel Smotrich lashed out at the Supreme Court during a hearing on petitions against a Basic Law amendment on judge selection. He said the justices have no authority to void Bas…
Report: Emergency furloughs keep hitting the same workers again and again
A Service for Employment report says emergency furloughs repeatedly hit the same workers, especially women, ultra-Orthodox Israelis and younger employees. It also says Israel’s la…
Southern pilot to offer housing incentives for reservist doctors in Lehavim
Israel will launch a pilot in Lehavim to give housing incentives to reserve-duty doctors who move to the Negev. The goal is to attract hundreds of physicians to the new Shiba Nege…
Strong shekel, but Israeli food prices keep climbing
A Knesset committee heard that Israel’s stronger shekel has not brought food prices down, despite global price declines. Officials and industry groups traded blame, and lawmakers…
Finance Ministry Revives Road-Use Tax Debate, and EV Sales Feel the Pressure
Israel’s Finance Ministry is again weighing a congestion charge and a mileage tax on electric cars. The prospect of new per-kilometer fees, alongside possible cuts in purchase tax…
Treasury Drafts Next Budget Push on Insurance Brokers, Tax Breaks, and New Levies
Israel’s Finance Ministry is preparing a major 2027 budget package that could revive reforms on insurance broker pay, financial regulation, and tax breaks. The ministry is also pl…
Noga Chair Says Israel Will Raise Up to NIS 2 Billion to Fund Emergency Fuel Reserves
Noga chairman Tal Baxes said Israel’s electricity grid held up through the war with Iran, even after gas platforms and energy sites were shut or targeted. He said Noga will raise…
Builders Urge Cut in Investor Purchase Tax to Ease Rental Prices
Israel’s Contractors Association is asking Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to cut the purchase tax on second homes, saying the 2021 increase has hurt renters and tightened renta…
Israeli Election Commission Adds Another Controversial Appointment
Israel’s Central Elections Committee appointed Lilach Wiseman to lead a new digital communications post, drawing criticism over what the article calls another left-leaning senior…
Tel Hai’s Upgrade to University Leaves Northern Students and Reservists at Risk
A funding dispute over Tel Hai’s transition to Kiryat Shmona University is putting first-year scholarships for northern students at risk. The cutoff could drive students, includin…
Finance Ministry Budget Chief Picks Internal Deputy, Easing Fears of Outside Appointment
Rotem Bramli has been named acting deputy head of Israel’s Budget Division, replacing Kfir Batta and averting fears of an outside appointment. The move follows tensions inside the…
High Court Orders State to Justify RMI Chief Appointment
Israel’s High Court issued an order nisi over Yehuda Eliyahu’s appointment as Israel Land Authority director general and asked the state to justify it by July 1. The justices said…
Israeli agencies review Chinese vehicle purchases after security concerns
After the IDF, Elbit Systems, and the police moved to limit Chinese-made vehicles over security concerns, more Israeli state-owned companies are reviewing their fleets. Israel Ele…
At Salesforce’s Tel Aviv event, businesses map out the promise of AI agents
Salesforce used its Agentforce World Tour Tel Aviv to showcase how AI agents are being adopted by Israeli businesses and public institutions. Company executives and customers said…
Aid Approved for Lone National Service Volunteers, but Funds Still Not Transferred
Israel approved a 5 million shekel plan to extend lone-soldier style benefits to discharged lone national service women, but the money has not yet been transferred. The Defense Mi…