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Finance Ministry

Palestinians wait in line to withdraw money from an ATM in the main market in Ramallah city in the West Bank on June 9, 2024. (Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Jacob Magid
Exclusive
Jacob Magid
Palestinian banking crisis averted, as Israeli bank delays plan to halt collaboration
A day before deadline, Discount Bank agrees to push off plan to stop correspondent banking services to Palestinian counterparts, which tethers West Bank to global economy
Israeli security forces guard a group of Jewish Israelis as they tour the West Bank city of Hebron, August 22, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)
August 27, 2026, 12:45 pm
IDF chief orders major bolstering of troops in West Bank due to escalated tensions
Standing army division to be placed on standby for deployment; Zamir also slams treasury for ’empty coffers’ amid clash over pension for ousted top military lawyer Tomer-Yerushalmi
By Emanuel Fabian
Israeli reserve soldiers seen during military training in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, October 30, 2023. (David Cohen/ Flash90)
August 25, 2026, 9:59 pm
Wartime reserve duty taking heavier toll on economy than expected, Treasury warns
Month of reserve duty costs the state an average NIS 53,000 per soldier and falls mainly on non-Haredi Jewish men aged 25-44, who tend to earn more and have children, report shows
By Sharon Wrobel
Thousands of passengers wait at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv after a strike was announced, August 20, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/ Flash90)
August 21, 2026, 9:02 am
Ben Gurion Airport is most disrupted in the world, day after wildcat labor strike
Worker walk-out, prompted by manpower shortage, drives ongoing wave of cancellations and delays, some $10m damage; Likud official alleges plot to hurt PM politically
By ToI Staff
Ilustrative: Offices of Discount and Hapoalim banks in the center of Tel Aviv (Miriam Alster/ FLASH90)
August 21, 2026, 1:11 am
Progress made in talks with Israeli banks to delay move that could collapse PA economy
Sources tell ToI that Discount and Hapoalim are likely to hold off on threat to stop providing critical correspondent services to Palestinian banks, following Western intervention
By Jacob Magid
Jewish yeshiva students study at the Kamenitz Yeshiva, in Jerusalem on August 19, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
August 20, 2026, 7:51 pm
Government data said to show Haredim far likelier than other Jews to get state subsidies
Finance Ministry officials reportedly tell AG ultra-Orthodox family has 72% chance to qualify for municipal property tax discount, as opposed to 17% chance for other Jewish households
By ToI Staff
An illustrative image of a quantum computing concept. (metamorworks; iStock by Getty Images)
August 4, 2026, 11:34 pm
Israel rolls out tender for national quantum computer, and plans for advanced AI push
Plan aims to establish ‘Israeli technological sovereignty,’ provide a significant boost to the local high-tech ecosystem, and strengthen the country’s long-term competitiveness
By Sharon Wrobel
File: Ultra-Orthodox children on the first day of school in Neve Yaakov in Jerusalem, August 9, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90/File)
August 3, 2026, 6:42 pm
State reportedly not cutting funds to Haredi schools that fail to teach core subjects
Despite parliamentary recess, Knesset Finance Committee to meet on Tuesday to approve hundreds of millions of additional taxpayer shekels for ultra-Orthodox education
By Sam Sokol
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich gestures toward a map of the West Bank during a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
July 23, 2026, 3:25 am
Israel acts to ease Palestinian banking crisis it helped create, but is it moving too late?
Smotrich signs waiver allowing transactions with Palestinian banks until end of 2026, though Israeli financial institutions are wary about continuing to provide services crucial to keeping West Bank economy afloat
By Jacob Magid
Illustrative: An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jet is seen taking off for a major wave of strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, April 8, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
July 2, 2026, 10:11 pm
Finance and Defense ministries reach deal to give IDF an extra NIS 15 billion
Deal mediated by National Security Council prevents potential tax hikes and spending cuts incurred by reopening of 2026 state budget, which already included record defense spending
By Sharon Wrobel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Finance Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on May 26, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 3, 2026, 9:57 pm
Smotrich instructs ministry to build task force to help tech firms with shekel surge
Amid wave of mass layoffs, Finance Ministry officials meet with tech reps, insist that government won’t directly intervene to stabilize currency and instead look to limit damage
By ToI Staff
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a Finance Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem on May 26, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
June 1, 2026, 2:11 am
Funds for war-torn north delayed as Smotrich forges ahead with tax breaks for settlements
NIS 5 billion aid package stalls even as a West Bank settlements benefits bill advances; local leaders and opposition accuse government of abandoning communities battered by Hezbollah
By Ariela Karmel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference ahead of the vote on the state budget at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 29, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
May 17, 2026, 6:26 pm
Smotrich denies bid to hike retirement age to 70; officials say it’s part of contingency plan
Finance minister insists ‘issue not on the agenda,’ but idea is not new given rising life expectancy, and officials say it could come into force if needed
By Sharon Wrobel
The scene where a missile fired from Iran toward Israel caused damage to residential buildings in the southern city of Dimona, March 22, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)
April 12, 2026, 10:54 pm
Iran war cost about NIS 35 billion in budgetary expenses, Finance Ministry says
During the 40-day campaign, Israel incurred an estimated NIS 22 billion in defense costs, according to an initial estimate
By Sharon Wrobel
Knesset Finance Committee chair MK Hanoch Milwidsky leads a Finance committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 15, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
March 16, 2026, 3:15 am
Knesset advances bill to grant R&D tax credit in bid to keep tech firms in Israel
Legislation, proposed by Finance Ministry to help offset OECD-brokered tax hike amid brain drain concerns, will let tech firms keep a larger share of their income
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
People wait in a bomb shelter during a siren alert for a reported incoming Iranian missile strike near the coastal city of Tel Aviv, on March 5, 2026. (Olympia de Maismont/AFP)
March 5, 2026, 6:18 pm
Schools remain closed as workplaces reopen, prompting frustration from working parents
Employers can’t fire workers who stay home due to childcare needs amid war, but aren’t obligated to pay them; employees may need to use vacation days; decision draws political blowback
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
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