The Finance Ministry says it delivered the 2026 state budget draft to the Knesset ahead of a preliminary vote on Wednesday.
Under Israeli law, if the government fails to pass the budget by the end of March, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, triggering early elections three months later. Elections are currently slated to be held by late October.
The budget, as well as an accompanying economic plan, faces an uphill battle for approval.
If approved on Wednesday, the budget will head to parliament’s finance committee where it could undergo changes before its final two votes in the plenum.
Despite declaring that they would not support the budget until the coalition passes its controversial bill exempting yeshiva students from military service, the ultra-Orthodox Shas and Degel HaTorah parties plan to vote in favor of the budget in its first reading, Channel 12 reported yesterday.
According to the network, following the first reading of the budget bill, the two Haredi parties will withhold their support for further votes on the budget until the exemption bill’s legislative process is completed.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 19, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
