The Israeli budget vote is winning for Netanyahu

The spending plan approved by the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is a great political victory and devotes a large piece of military spending, indicating that Israel expects to remain equal in the long term.

The budget of $ 206 billion was approved on Tuesday with wide support – 66 votes to 52 – to support the authority of Mr. Netanyahu more than a year after the reverse reaction to Israeli hostages, sharp political opposition and legal challenges.

Approving the budget has deep political and financial effects. If you failed to pass by the end of the month, Parliament would have been resolved automatically. This would be launched in the elections, about 18 months ago, that Mr. Netanyahu’s alliance of the right -wing parties may have lost, according to the latest opinion polls.

Now, Mr. Netanyahu has a much greater time to determine the priorities of his government, whether at home or in Gaza, because it will be difficult for any sarcastic party in his alliance to threaten its fall.

“This may mean doubling the intense right -wing people and the war in Gaza, or it may mean knowing the exit strategy and trying to drive into a Saudi normalization deal,” said Michael Coplo, an analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, a New York -based research group. “But whatever the path that will reflect Netanyahu’s accounts instead of what is paid by coalition partners.”

The vote sparked sharp protests from the demonstrators, who banned roads to Parliament, and held signs to demand Mr. Netanyahu more quickly in negotiations to liberate several dozens of hostages who have been detained in the Gaza Strip for nearly 18 months. He talks about the resumption of the ceasefire with the emergence of Hamas, and a modern government decision Return to war It raises concerns among Israelis to the hostages who have not been released.

Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s parliamentary opposition, claimed that the budget also included discounts in basic services such as health care, luxury and education while transferring money to the right -wing coalition partners to Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Lapid said: “The budget harms every Israeli citizen, especially the workers.” “Only to keep the alliance for another few months, it sells the citizens of Israel.”

The budget was crowned with spending at $ 168.8 billion, which led to more money – $ 29.9 billion – to the Israeli Ministry of Defense more than any other government agency. Almost 18 percent of The newly approved budget for 2025 It will finance its military and defensive operations.

A summary of the budget said that the allocation reflects the continuous need for the important military spending since October 2023, when it expels the Hamas -led attack, which killed about 1,200 Israelis on the ongoing war in Gaza. The budget said that the spending last year, as Israel opened new fronts in Lebanon and Syria, and raids air strikes against Iran and Yemen.

“This is a war budget, and with the help of God, it will also be the budget for victory,” Finance Minister Paisalel Sottic, the ally of Mr. Netanyahu, said in a statement after the approval of the budget on Tuesday.

The United States, which is part of the blocked peace negotiations to liberate Israeli hostages and end the war in Gaza, reduce some Israeli expenses in wartime by providing billions of dollars in weapons.

Indeed, this year, the Trump administration has exceeded the Congress to allow sales more than 12 billion dollars Between the weapon To Israel during the next decade – including 2 billion dollars of bombs Like ammunition with an area of ​​2000 pounds in which human rights officials and preachers said that civilians who were randomly killed in Gaza.

Aaron Bokman The reports contributed.