Opposition Leader Yair Lapid blasts the proposed 2026 state budget on X, after a deal was reached between the Defense and Finance Ministries that allocated NIS 112 billion ($34.7b) for defense.
“This morning, the government is approving a budget of corruption and draft-dodging. In order to fund the NIS 60 billion ($18.6b) cost of Haredi draft-dodging, they are raising taxes on the citizens of Israel,” he writes.
“They didn’t even consider closing superfluous government offices, or getting rid of the corrupt coalition funds,” he continues.
“In the next government we will fix this; we will approve a budget of changes in the national order of priorities, which will take the money from the crooks and draft-dodgers and transfer it to people who work hard, pay taxes, and serve in the army,” Lapid pledges.
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From the Liveblog of
Friday, December 5, 2025
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