But I don’t think we expected it to be this complex and difficult.
This is not to say that all is negative. Absolutely not: We are moving ahead successfully in a number of respects.
On Tuesday, by a vote of 66 to 52, the Knesset passed a budget of a record 620 billion shekels. This was a major victory for Netanyahu, as passage of a budget was essential to sustaining his current coalition until elections in October 2026. Unsurprisingly, the greatest increase in allocations was for the Defense Ministry, which was allocated 109.8 billion shekels.
“This is not just a budget,” said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in his opening remarks prior to the Knesset debate. “It’s the story of hundreds of thousands of [IDF] fighters, both men and women, conscripts and reservists, and their families. It is the story of the heroes of the borders, pioneering settlers—of an entire nation that is going to war to win.
“This is the story of a beautiful Israel…”
We can be grateful for the prospect of coalition stability and for a government committed to winning the war.
Since we began fighting again in Gaza, Itamar Ben Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party have rejoined the coalition and regained their previous positions; Ben Gvir is again Minister of National Security. He had left with his party in January in protest over the six-week ceasefire that had been set in place in January.
I see this as a plus because with this move the coalition is further stabilized. What is more, while Ben Gvir is often stigmatized as “extreme” right, I believe his tough positions are frequently on the mark.
Another legislative victory for the coalition was achieved this morning (Thursday), when the Knesset passed a law altering the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee; the vote was 67 to 1 because opposition party members walked out rather than participate in the third and final vote. The amendment that was passed is not slated to become part of Basic Law until the next Knesset term (the 26th), after elections.
Photo: Flash90
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Arlene Kushner: To receive regular posts from the author, you can contact her by email at: [email protected]