From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 9, 2026
Opposition parties remove no-confidence motions from Knesset agenda ahead of key budget vote
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"
In a joint statement, the heads of the opposition announce that “in light of the coalition crisis with the Haredim” they are withdrawing all motions of no-confidence in the government from the Knesset plenum agenda today “in order to move straight to a vote on the division” of the Arrangements Law.
The planned vote to split the annual Arrangements Law from a package of economic reforms being pushed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as part of the 2026 state budget is expected to pass this evening, a source in the United Torah Judaism party’s Degel HaTorah faction told The Times of Israel earlier today.
According to the source, his party will vote in favor of the motion after the ultra-Orthodox parties closed the gaps in their disagreements on the coalition’s Haredi draft exemption bill with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee legal advisor Miri Frenkel Shor.
Degel HaTorah and Shas are expected to vote in favor of the motion. However, Agudat Yisrael, which together with Degel HaTorah comprises the larger United Torah Judaism party, announced it would vote against it.
The Times of Israel Community.