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Sunday, January 18, 2026
Knesset legal adviser said to give government one-week deadline to pass 1st reading of state budget
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The government has just one week to pass the 2026 state budget in a first reading in the Knesset to avoid dissolving the house and triggering early elections, according to Hebrew media reports.
Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik informed lawmakers today that a first reading must be held by next week because at least two months must pass between the first and second readings of the budget, the latter of which must be held by the end of March.
Under Israeli law, if the government fails to pass the budget by the end of March, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, resulting in early elections three months later. Elections are currently expected to be held in October.
The timeline is further compressed by the fact that Passover begins on April 1, and the Knesset effectively enters its spring recess in the preceding week, further pushing up the deadline to pass the budget.
The timeline creates political issues for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the ultra-Orthodox parties vowing not to vote for the budget until the passing of a law on draft exemptions for Haredi yeshiva students. That law has yet to be legislated.
The Times of Israel Community.