From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 26, 2026
Smotrich said to challenge ultra-Orthodox parties to go to elections if they won’t pass 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 has reportedly dared the Haredi parties to dissolve the Knesset, declaring that if they cannot support the 2026 state budget, Israel should hold early elections.
Speaking with the Ynet news site, a source close to Smotrich stated that the far-right politician was “no longer willing to link the budget law to the [ultra-Orthodox] draft law.”
“If they are not willing, then they should bring a law to dissolve the Knesset,” the source stated, adding that “there is a country here to manage. If we don’t want to vote on a budget, we will go to elections.”
According to Channel 12, Smotrich sent a similar message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that if the budget doesn’t pass its first reading today the Knesset should be dissolved.
Earlier today, the government announced that today’s planned first reading of the 2026 state budget bill will be postponed until Wednesday.
Haredi political sources tell The Times of Israel that the delay is related to the ongoing fight over legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service. Smotrich is currently meeting with Netanyahu along with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri and Degel HaTorah leader Moshe Gafni to discuss the matter.
Under Israeli law, if the government fails to pass the budget by the end of March, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, triggering early elections three months later. Elections are currently slated to be held by late October.
Aside from Netanyahu meeting with Smotrich, Gafni and Deri, coalition whip Ofir Katz is also making efforts to solve the crisis and was photographed walking with United Torah Judaism MK Uri Maklev while speaking on the phone with Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs.
The Times of Israel Community.