Trending Now - Israel's Knesset Moves Forward With Record 2026 Budget Plan
WHO:
AP News - Opposition leader Yair Lapid described the budget as “the greatest theft in the state’s history.”
AP News - Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett referred to the budget as “the government of gluttony and evasion” and called it a “nocturnal heist.”
The Times of Israel - Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the budget “a budget that takes care of everyone and fights the cost of living.”
The Times of Israel - Yesh Atid chair Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, described the budget as “the greatest theft in the history of the state.”
The Times of Israel - Opposition lawmakers, including Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman, criticized the budget.
WHAT:
Haaretz - The budget passed with a vote of 62-55, just hours before the Knesset faced dissolution.
The Times of Israel - The budget allocates approximately NIS 800 million ($255 million) to programs and institutions favored by Haredi parties, including yeshivas.
The Times of Israel - The budget increased allocations to Haredi educational institutions by more than NIS 1 billion, from NIS 4.1 billion ($1.3 billion) to NIS 5.17 billion ($1.65 billion).
AP News - The budget includes a last-minute amendment providing an additional $250 million to ultra-Orthodox schools.
Haaretz - The budget passed with a vote of 62-55, just hours before the Knesset faced dissolution.
Bloomberg Markets - The budget authorizes government spending of approximately NIS 850.6 billion ($271 billion) for the 2026 fiscal year, with a 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense due to the ongoing war against Iran.
Bloomberg Markets - The budget includes a large defense supplement to cover the war with Iran, funded by additional borrowing and cuts in civilian spending.
The Times of Israel - The budget allocates approximately NIS 800 million ($255 million) to programs and institutions favored by Haredi parties, including yeshivas.
The Times of Israel - The budget includes NIS 22 billion ($7 billion) in income-dependent expenditure, conditioned upon mainly US grants.
The Times of Israel - The budget sets the deficit ceiling for 2026 at 4.9% of GDP, up from the 3.9% in the first reading of the budget passed in January.
Bloomberg Markets - Israel’s parliament approved a 2026 state budget with a total of NIS 850.6 billion ($271 billion).
The Times of Israel - The budget includes a record defense budget of NIS 143 billion ($45.8 billion) and additional wartime funding of over NIS 30 billion ($9.5 billion).
The Times of Israel - Lawmakers voted 62-55 in favor of the budget.
The Times of Israel - The budget increased allocations to Haredi educational institutions by more than NIS 1 billion, from NIS 4.1 billion ($1.3 billion) to NIS 5.17 billion ($1.65 billion).
The Times of Israel - The budget includes NIS 400 million ($129.5 million) for the Settlements and National Missions Ministry.
WHERE:
The Times of Israel - The budget was approved in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
WHEN:
The Times of Israel - The budget was passed on March 30th, 2026, early Monday morning.
The Times of Israel - The Knesset's spring recess begins on March 31st, 2026.
The Times of Israel - The next elections are scheduled for late October 2026.
WHY:
AP News - The budget was passed to avoid triggering early elections, which would have occurred if the budget failed to pass before the April 1st deadline.
The Times of Israel - The budget was passed to avoid triggering early elections, which would have occurred if the budget failed to pass before the March 31st deadline.
The Times of Israel - The budget aims to support the war with Iran and address the cost of living.
HOW:
The Times of Israel - The session took place in the building’s auditorium, closer to a bomb shelter, due to sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran interrupting discussions three times.
The Times of Israel - Lawmakers voted from an alternate, fortified room due to the sirens warning of ballistic missiles from Iran.
The Times of Israel - The session took place in the building’s auditorium, closer to a bomb shelter, due to sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran interrupting discussions three times.
The Times of Israel - The Knesset voted to split the Arrangements bill in two, leaving out some controversial reforms to expedite the budget's passage.
The Times of Israel - The budget was passed after over thirteen hours of filibustering from the opposition and multiple interruptions due to sirens warning of ballistic missiles from Iran.
The Times of Israel - The coalition maneuvered to separate controversial pieces of legislation from the budget to expedite its passage.
(UPDATED March 30, 2026 21:11 UTC)
The Knesset passed a controversial budget with a vote of 62 to 55, just hours before facing dissolution, as opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “the greatest theft in the state’s history” and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett labeled it a “nocturnal heist.” The budget allocates approximately NIS 800 million, or $255 million, to programs favored by Haredi parties, increasing funding for their educational institutions by over NIS 1 billion, from NIS 4.1 billion to NIS 5.17 billion. This session took place in a fortified room due to missile warnings from Iran, interrupting discussions three times as lawmakers aimed to avoid early elections by meeting the April 1st budget deadline.
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(UPDATED March 30, 2026 19:18 UTC)
The Knesset passed a budget with a narrow vote of 62 to 55, just hours before facing dissolution, which includes a last-minute amendment providing an additional $250 million to ultra-Orthodox schools. This budget authorizes approximately NIS 850.6 billion, or $271 billion, in government spending for the 2026 fiscal year, featuring a significant 20% increase for the Ministry of Defense amid the ongoing war against Iran. The session was held in the building’s auditorium, closer to a bomb shelter, as sirens warning of missiles launched from Iran interrupted discussions three times.
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(UPDATED March 30, 2026 15:18 UTC)
The Knesset has voted to split the Arrangements bill in two, allowing for a quicker passage of the budget while leaving out some controversial reforms. This budget includes a significant defense supplement to support the ongoing war with Iran, funded by additional borrowing and cuts in civilian spending, while also allocating approximately NIS 800 million, or $255 million, to programs favored by Haredi parties, including yeshivas. Additionally, the budget sets a deficit ceiling for 2026 at 4.9% of GDP, an increase from the 3.9% proposed in January, and includes NIS 22 billion, or $7 billion, in income-dependent expenditures primarily reliant on US grants.
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(UPDATED March 30, 2026 07:19 UTC)
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, approved a state budget of 850.6 billion shekels, which includes a record defense allocation of 143 billion shekels and additional wartime funding exceeding 30 billion shekels. The budget passed early Monday morning with a vote of 62 to 55, despite over thirteen hours of opposition filibustering and interruptions from missile alerts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the budget as one that addresses the cost of living, while opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned it as “the greatest theft in the history of the state.”