Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich began tearing up during a speech at a press conference before his party meeting on Monday. Smotrich lamented the tide of deaths of IDF soldiers in the last few days but said that particular attention should be paid to their ideals. He said that the price of the war was … Read more
The Finance Committee began on Monday to prepare for its second and third reading of a bill proposed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to expand government spending by approximately NIS 3.4 billion. Smotrich himself attended the meeting and presented the bill. It covers a number of war-related issues, including funding for evacuees and released … Read more
Yesh Atid party member Mickey Levy strongly criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to meet the legal deadline for submitting the 2025 budget, in a Thursday interview with Maariv. According to levy, the budget was due by August 18, and the delay constitutes a breach of the … Read more
The Ashkenazic-Haredi party United Torah Judaism announced to Coalition whip MK Ofir Katz (Likud) that they will boycott the Knesset plenum until their “education issues are resolved,” a spokesperson for one of the party’s MKs confirmed on Wednesday. The coalition intends to introduce a number of bills on Thursday for a vote in a … Read more
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Monday about the deaths of six hostages in Hamas custody and the massive protests that followed, a number of political officials have voiced their support or condemnation of his position. Benny Gantz, head of National Unity, reminded the public of Netanyahu’s reluctance to enter the Philadelphi Corridor, … Read more
COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) announced the completion of its professional work on Wednesday and published a new blue line for the settlement of Nahal Heletz in the Gush Etzion region. The publication of this blue line allows for the initiation of procedures for establishing the settlement of Nahal Heletz, one … Read more
The attorney general’s office issued a directive on Tuesday that daycare subsidies for families of haredi military-age yeshiva students will continue until the end of November. The directive was a partial acceptance of a request by Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur (Shas), who requested that the subsidies continue until September 2025, or at least until … Read more
An NIS 3.4 billion increase in the 2024 budget was approved by the government Sunday, after being advanced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The nearly 2.7 billion of the funding is primarily for extended housing grants and other social services grants for evacuees from the North through the end of the year. It also … Read more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering forming a new “consultation and updating forum” that would include National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, in exchange for the latter’s Otzma Yehudit party’s support for a bill important to Netanyahu’s key political ally, Shas MK Arye Deri, the prime minister’s office confirmed on Tuesday. Following an initial … Read more
Over 50 Members of the Knesset demanded in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that he raise the issue of US sanctions against settlers during his speech in the US Congress on Wednesday. The MKs, led by the Land of Israel Caucus heads Yuli Edelstein (Likud), Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), … Read more
