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Finance Ministry

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
A large billboard reading "Together we will win" with the Israeli and US flag, seen on the deserted Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv during the war with Iran. March 4. 2026. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
March 4, 2026, 8:14 pm
War set to cost $3 billion a week if current limits on economy persist, ministry warns
Finance Ministry chief urges the easing of Home Front Command workplace restrictions from Thursday to allow for the gradual reopening of economic activity
By Sharon Wrobel
Cliff collapse at Sidna Ali Beach in Herzliya, February 21, 2026. (Assaf Nissenbaum/Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
February 26, 2026, 5:48 am
The way the kurkar crumbles? As deteriorating cliffs pose a danger, politics bogs down repairs
After part of a coastal rock face collapses in Herzliya, those tasked with protecting these ridges call for cash – and a single coordinating body to help them get the job done
By Sue Surkes
The Tamar offshore natural gas platform. (Delek Drilling)
February 17, 2026, 6:24 pm
State report finds Israel unprepared to ensure gas keeps flowing during emergencies
State comptroller appears to urge government to rethink decision to close Haifa refinery, but office claims it is just seeking to guarantee energy supplies when missiles fly
By Sue Surkes
Children arrive for the first day of school in Jerusalem, September 1, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
February 10, 2026, 6:51 pm
Teachers union chief in talks with Finance Ministry to shorten school week to 5 days
Proposed overhaul to end six-day school week, rare among developed countries, comes amid teacher shortages, low salaries; union head rejects call to shorten summer break
By Ariela Karmel
Members of the government discuss the 2026 budget, December 5, 2025. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
January 19, 2026, 1:37 pm
Government sends 2026 budget to Knesset after delays caused by coalition infighting
Even as the final deadline looms, ultra-Orthodox parties are threatening to withhold votes until their long-desired military exemptions are passed into law
By Reuters and ToI Staff
The High Court of Justice holds a hearing in Jerusalem on a petition against the Knesset Finance Committee’s decision to transfer funds to ultra-Orthodox schools that don't teach core subjects, January 8, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
January 11, 2026, 8:25 pm
High Court orders state to disclose ultra-Orthodox school curriculum and oversight
Knesset legal adviser demands Finance Ministry provide details on illegal practice of transferring funds prior to approval by Knesset panel
By Ariela Karmel
Dairy farmers and their supporters protest against the milk reform led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich at the HaGoma Junction near the city of Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, January 6, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
January 5, 2026, 2:32 pm
Hundreds of farmers protest ‘destructive’ dairy reform plan at junctions nationwide
Demonstrators chant, ‘Zionism and security can’t be imported,’ as agriculture minister says he’ll thwart Smotrich proposal to deregulate industry that’s likely to cost local farms
By Sharon Wrobel and ToI Staff
Illegal burning of electronic waste near Azzoun, northern West Bank, November 24, 2025. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel)
December 29, 2025, 11:54 am
Pirate waste fires choke Israelis and Palestinians as ministers play game of hot potato
Ahead of upcoming elections, lawmakers wake up to citizens’ protests as Environmental and Defense Ministries battle over turf, and as Treasury promises — but doesn’t deliver — funds
By Sue Surkes
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference on raising the tax exemption on personal imports to $150 at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, December 23, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
December 23, 2025, 6:50 pm
‘It can be cheap here’: Smotrich raises VAT exemption on overseas orders to $150
Finance minister says move will lower cost of living, free Israelis from exploitation by monopolies; businesspeople protest, saying it’s a ‘death sentence for small businesses’
By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
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