The Israeli government approved the state budget for 2025 this Friday, despite strong tensions within the coalition. The project, which amounts to 607.4 billion shekels (around 150 billion euros), is accompanied by budgetary adjustments of 37 billion shekels.
“We are finalizing an important budget, difficult but necessary in times of war,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that the Nagel committee's military reinforcement recommendations were not yet included in the Defense and Prison Administration envelope. .
“It is a budget that supports the war effort while encouraging growth,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, highlighting an additional envelope of 9 billion shekels for reservists and a development plan 15 billion for the Northern region.
The session was marked by the spectacular departure of the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and members of his Otzma Yehudit party, protesting against budget cuts affecting the police and the prison administration.
Internal security thus saw its budget cut, with a reduction of 1,000 shekels in the salaries of 14,000 police officers and 4,000 prison officers. This decision could lead to the closure of intervention units and compromise the capacity to incarcerate terrorists, according to the services concerned. “This significant attack on the essential needs of the functioning of organizations endangers the security of Israeli citizens,” denounced in a joint statement the Minister of National Security, the police chief and the commissioner of penitentiary services.
