Far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir says his Otzma Yehudit party will not vote in favor of funds promised to various causes under coalition deals as part of the state budget, due to his criticism of the lack of funds for development of the Negev and Galilee.
“Otzma Yehudit opposes this budget,” he says in a statement. “We cannot accept the Negev and Galilee [regions] being forgotten.” He says more funds need to be allocated “to Judaize the Negev and the Galilee.”
Party colleague Negev and Galilee Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf adds that the current allocation “is also a violation of what we were promised in coalition agreements. I hope the budget will not pass as it is.”
The two express their frustration just a week after NIS 12.4 billion of discretionary funding attached to the two-year, 2023-2024 budget was made public. The Negev and Galilee Ministry received NIS 460 million ($125 million) from the pot, according to analysis by the Berl Katznelson Foundation.
The government has until May 29 to pass the budget or face automatic dissolution.
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll also enjoy our DocuNation series of outstanding Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
CHOOSE YOUR BOOK
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
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
