Israel’s 2026 state budget bill passes first reading in Knesset
Israel’s 2026 state budget bill passed a first reading late Wednesday by a vote of 62–55.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the government would not have advanced the budget without a commitment from ultra-Orthodox parties to support it through all three readings, adding that the Haredi factions were not linking the budget to the military draft exemption law.
The Degel HaTorah faction denied Smotrich’s claim, saying there was no commitment to back the budget in its second and third readings.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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