Knesset vote on 2022 budget delayed, but set to pass within hours

Read More

The Knesset vote on Israel’s 2022 state budget on Thursday was delayed, likely by a few hours, in what the opposition celebrated as an achievement.

It isn’t likely, however, to change the outcome of the final vote later on Thursday, which would ensure stability for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s coalition and stave off most options for Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition parties to vote out the government.

In a brief statement to the media, Bennett said: “Hold on a little longer, the budget will pass.” As soon as it does, according to Bennett, “the State of Israel will enter a new phase, the government will ensure its stability and the state will function again.”

The Knesset began the process of approving the 2021-2022 budget on Tuesday, and narrowly passed the 2021 budget early Thursday morning following a long overnight session.

Members of the 61-seat, slim majority coalition believe they can obtain the required votes easily. According to law, a government that is unable to pass the budget disperses automatically.

Nevertheless, several coalition MKs intend to appeal to opposition members, mainly from the Joint List, if there are concerns that the budget’s passage is in danger. In such a scenario, they will try to convince Joint List lawmakers to leave the Knesset plenum before the vote or abstain, which would ensure the budget’s approval.

One of the budget’s clauses, which touches upon the building of classrooms, was struck down, and it will return to the finance committee for what will likely be hours-long discussions. Due to one coalition lawmaker’s absence, the Knesset voted 59-59 on the clause, meaning that it did not pass.

The Israeli right thinks this photo can stave off its worst nightmare

Israeli parliament approves budget for the first time in over 3 years

A budget that will be good for Israel

Labor MK Emilie Moatti tweeted afterwards: “My mistake, I fell asleep for two hours.”

Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted afterwards, “The opposition can keep trying. We will not give up on an additional budget for building classrooms. Giving up on classrooms means giving up on the next generation of the State of Israel. We will vote on the clause again and pass it.”

The Knesset began its deliberations on Monday, after two years during which Israel went without a new budget. At the beginning of the session, the chairman of the Finance Committee, Alex Kushnir (Yisrael Beiteinu), presented the budget bill, and was followed at the podium by the heads of other Knesset committees involved in preparing the bill, as well as Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

“The budget is replete with reforms meant to aid weaker segments of society, to deal with the cost of living and to create engines of growth,” said Kushnir. Lieberman said “the very fact that a budget was brought forward within 142 days of forming this coalition shows that we’ve been working.”

The session will be concluded by Lieberman, Prime Minister Bennett, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, opposition leader Netanyahu and Kushnir.

The Knesset’s legal adviser, attorney Sagit Afik, said the bill is larger and more comprehensive than any budget bills presented in the last 20 years. She said some key reservations had been raised, adding that the opposition should be given adequate time to present them.

The coalition has defined the vote as a “military operation,” since any dissenting member of the coalition could forestall the process and upend the schedule. Coalition whip Idit Silman (Yamina) and her backup Boaz Toporovsky (Yesh Atid) have drawn up detailed guidelines for Knesset members to minimize the chance of a delay in the budget’s approval. For instance, they’ve asked lawmakers to take light meals to prevent drowsiness, and to wear light clothing.

The budget for 2021 is set at 432.5 billion shekels ($137.8 billion), rising to 452.5 billion in 2022.