From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 26, 2026
‘If there is no budget, we will go to elections,’ Smotrich reportedly tells PM
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam 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"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a stormy meeting with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni and Shas chief Aryeh Deri after the planned first reading of the 2026 budget was postponed from today until Wednesday due to the ongoing fight over legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service.
According to Hebrew media reports, the meeting descended into shouting, with Ynet reporting that Smotrich said he would only advance the 2026 budget bill if he receives assurances that it won’t be tied to the exemption bill.
“I am not a hostage or a yo-yo. We have an economy to manage. If there is no budget, we will go to elections,” national broadcaster Kan quotes Smotrich as telling the meeting.
“If there is no conscription law, there will be elections,” Gafni hits back, prompting Smotrich to accuse him of making empty threats, arguing that the Haredim have a greater interest in the budget’s passage than he does.
“I will not bring a budget on Wednesday if the Haredim do not commit to approving it,” Smotrich threatens, to which Deri replies that the matter “depends on the rabbis, we need to bring it to them.”
Prior to the meeting, Channel 12 reported that Smotrich sent a message to Netanyahu declaring that if the budget doesn’t pass its first reading today the Knesset should be dissolved.
In response, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tweeted: “Smotrich, just a reminder, the bill I submitted to disperse the Knesset will come up to the plenum next Wednesday.”
Asked about Smotrich’s threat to dissolve the Knesset, Lapid told reporters during his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting that the far-right politician has little credibility when it comes to such threats and tends not to follow through.
The Times of Israel Community.