Cabinet approves budget cuts in order to fund security at schools

By Sam Sokol 31 August 2025, 4:33 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Students go back to school in Tel Aviv after a strike, May 6, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Responding to demands by Education Minister Yoav Kisch and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, the cabinet approves an across-the-board cut of 0.6 percent to government ministries in order to fund security for schools for the upcoming academic year.

According to national broadcaster Kan, while multiple members of the cabinet argued against the measure, it was ultimately supported by the entire body with the exceptions of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock and Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer, all members of the the far-right Religious Zionism party. Smotrich was not present for the vote.

Earlier this month, the government voted to approve an NIS 31 billion ($9 billion) increase to the 2025 state budget — NIS 1.6 billion ($473 million) of which will go toward humanitarian aid for Gaza. Ahead of the vote, Kisch and Ben Gvir said in a joint statement that they would oppose the budget proposal unless it included funding for security at educational institutions for the coming school year. Without that money, Kisch warned that he could not guarantee that schools would open on schedule. Most schools nationwide are slated to open tomorrow, September 1.

“I am glad that I was able to convince my colleagues to approve a budget for the security of educational institutions,” Ben Gvir says in a statement following the vote. “Tomorrow, God willing, Israeli students will study in safety.”

Kisch also welcomes the vote, stating that it “ensures that the school year will begin as usual in a protected and safe environment.”

“The security of Israeli students is a red line. I made it clear that we will not allow the school year to commence without the security budget being fully regulated, and I am glad that the government accepted my position and approved the budget,” he says.

Protesting the decision, Tourism Minister Haim Katz releases a statement complaining that cutting his ministry’s already “extremely meager” budget will harm tourism and the economy.