Israel's parliament gave its initial approval to an amended 2024 state budget that adds tens of billions of shekels to fund Israel's war against Hamas, with higher defence spending and compensation to households and businesses hurt by the conflict.
The Knesset in Jerusalem
Israel's parliament gave its initial approval to an amended 2024 state budget that adds tens of billions of shekels to fund Israel's war against Hamas, with higher defence spending and compensation to households and businesses hurt by the conflict.
Lawmakers voted 57-50 to approve the spending package of 584 billion shekels ($159 billion), or 724 billion including debt repayment, according to a statement by the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
The budget now heads for debate in parliament's finance committee, where it may undergo adjustments ahead of its second and third votes expected later this month. The budget needs to pass three votes to become law.
($1 = 3.6654 shekels)
Reporting by Steven Scheer
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners made a last-ditch push on Tuesday to get their supporters to the polls, warning of surging Arab voter turnout, a tactic Arab politicians denounced as racist and inflammatory.
Israelis surged to the polls at the fastest rate in nearly half a century on Tuesday to pass wartime judgment on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what voters described as the most consequential election in the nation's history.
As Israelis vote today in a closely fought general election, Jacques Lemoisson, head of the economic intelligence firm Gate Advisory, believes Benjamin Netanyahu’s fate will hinge less on his own party’s score than on his ability to build a coalition.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.