From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Smotrich, Ohana meet ahead of push to pass 2025 state budget
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"
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meets with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to prepare the 2025 state budget.
The meeting is a sign that the coalition is beginning to lay the groundwork to shepherd the budget through the legislative process in the Knesset after the fall recess finishes at the end of the month.
Earlier this month, Smotrich presented an initial state budget framework for 2025 based on a deficit target of up to 4 percent of gross domestic product, which will necessitate NIS 35 billion ($9.5 billion) in spending adjustments to finance the costs of the ongoing war.
According to Hebrew media reports, the coalition’s United Torah Judaism party has threatened not to support the budget — whose failure to pass would bring down the government — unless the government expedites a bill facilitating sweeping exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox community from mandatory military service.
The Times of Israel Community.