Israel's government budget committee approved Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's proposal for the state budget and economic plan for 2023-2024 in a meeting held on Friday.
The state budget for 2023 will amount to approximately NIS 484 billion and in 2024 to approximately NIS 513 billion.
The budget had been planned to be passed in a meeting on Thursday, but negotiations continued until they broke down around 3 a.m. on Friday, and the meeting ended without any decisions. Discussions resumed at 9 a.m. on Friday and later concluded with a successful vote.
Tourism Minister Haim Katz announced his opposition to the budget for his ministry, calling it a "funeral" for his office. He boycotted the meeting and did not vote.
"We want to show that the tradition we have created here in the State of Israel, of a free economy with fiscal and monetary responsibility, and internal coordination and the independence of the bank, these are the things that stand with us at all times, and especially at this time," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I think this budget does that, and it also does it against the backdrop of some of the best macroeconomic data I can remember in all my years in office."
"Israel's economy is strong, it is solid. With this overwhelming support of the government ministers today, it is stronger."
"Citizens of Israel, we formed a government together less than two months ago, and each of the partners in the government has large and broad...
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