From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 14, 2026
Repeating Likud claims, Katz tells Lapid Israel has enough money to boost IDF budget
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Defense Minister Israel Katz issues a statement urging Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to support increasing the IDF’s budget, repeating a claim from his Likud party that Israel has enough money in its coffers for the funding boost.
Earlier, Lapid met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the matter, but the meeting reportedly fell apart due to a disagreement over how to fund the additional budget. Lapid reportedly said he would not agree to a tax hike and demanded that the money be allocated from budgets meant for Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox coalition partners.
Katz says Israel faces “dramatic security challenges that demand decisions right now,” and says Israel has the funds for the budget increase, which he says would be used for boosting reservists’ salaries, increasing border security and weapons production.
He says the funding increase necessitates a Knesset session, and accuses Lapid of playing political games.
“To remove any doubt, the economic situation is good and the necessary funds exist in the treasury, but what is needed is formal legislation in the Knesset, unconnected to any tax increase or other budgetary clause,” Katz says.
He adds, “It isn’t right to link the security issue to the normal political debate with the government over various budgetary clauses.”
Military costs have surged as Israel waged costly wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, as well as operations in Yemen, since the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, with the military also seeking to significantly expand its forces that were found lacking in preventing the Hamas massacre and subsequent wars.
The state budget that was passed in March, amid the Iran war that began on February 28, already allotted the Defense Ministry a record NIS 143 billion ($45.8 billion), or about 17 percent of the total spending bill.
In July, the Finance Ministry said it had reached an agreement with the Defense Ministry to immediately transfer an additional NIS 15 billion ($5.01 billion) in budget funds for the military amid claims by the IDF that it was on the verge of grounding an array of units.
Last month, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “Unfortunately, these days we are also engaged in a battle over the budget.”
“At a time when the IDF and its personnel are stretched across all fronts, we must contend with ’empty coffers.’ Such a situation harms the IDF’s readiness,” he claimed.
The Times of Israel Community.