The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) has finally approved the budget in 2025 today, Tuesday, before the deadline set on March 31, which prevented the collapse of the government.
The budget was not approved until the end of this month, the government will automatically fall and go to early elections, according to the Israeli statute.
The Knesset said in a statement on its website that the approval of the 2025 budget bill was made in the second and third readings by a majority of 66 members in exchange for the opposition of 52 members.
The budget of this year is described as the largest in the history of Israel, and the Hebrew Broadcasting Corporation said it will be worth 619 billion shekels (about 169 billion dollars).
The authority stated that “the defense budget is the highest, with a number of 109.8 billion shekels (about 30 billion dollars), and the second largest budget for the Ministry of Education, and it is about 92 billion shekels (about $ 25 billion). After that, the health budget will be about 60 billion shekels (more than 16 billion dollars).”
The costs of the war, especially on the Gaza Strip, increased the burden on the Israeli economy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq7VPP6054E
“The state budget that we passed today is a responsible and good budget, which provides in response to all the war needs on the front, and on the internal front to victory,” commented the Minister of Finance in Salail Smotrich by saying.
He added in a speech to the Knesset, “At the core of the budget, there is intense support for the soldiers and their families, and investing in the momentum of construction and renewable development in the fighting areas in the north (on the border with Lebanon) and the south (settlements adjacent to northern Gaza).”
“Israel deals with the longest and most expensive war we have ever known, and we support all war efforts and put reserve soldiers at the top of the list of priorities with a package of 9 billion shekels (about 2.5 billion dollars), and we turn the Israeli economy with responsibility,” Smotrich added.
