Nearly 55 million shekels (15 billion dollars) will be mainly used to finance the Army so that it can continue to advance in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israeli Parliament approved a new budget for the current year on Wednesday, focusing on the war over Gaza. Thus, in 2024, 584.1 billion shekels (160 billion dollars) will be allocated for military issues, which is about 70 million shekels (19 billion dollars) more than what had been agreed for 2023.
Of these, nearly 55 million shekels (15 billion dollars) will be mainly used to finance the Army so that it can continue to advance in the Palestinian enclave and pressure Hamas, while the remaining amount will be used to cover expenses in the civilian sector.
The project was backed by 62 members of the Knesset compared to 55 who were against it, in what were tense debate sessions that lasted for two days. Minister of Agriculture Avi Dichter, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud ruling coalition, was one of the voices expressing opposition.
Precisely, the official opposed cuts to the Agriculture budget and even threatened to veto the measure. However, after a series of negotiations, he reached an agreement with Netanyahu in which the latter committed to “resolve the agricultural crisis” by Easter in exchange for his support.
He was joined by opposition leader from the Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, who accused the government of proposing the “most sectorial” and “wasteful” budget in the country’s history as it does not take into account the Israeli middle class, workers, or youth. He warned then that this would be “the last budget this government will approve.”
However, others like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared that the project demonstrates the “clear objectives” of this administration, which include assistance to the Defense Forces to “win the war” and eliminate future threats to its territory, as well as support for military personnel and pathways to allow economic growth.
“It’s a budget that guarantees the continuation of the war until complete victory and benefits the citizens of Israel and the state’s economy,” said officials.
The news comes at a time when Israel is consolidating its positions in Gaza and intensifying its offensives on Lebanon. While troops in the enclave advance into the southern territory to eradicate Palestinian militants, in the north, the situation is becoming increasingly critical, with exchanges between the IDF and Hezbollah.
Yesterday, the Israeli Army reported that it had hit several enemy locations as a result of a series of airstrikes. Specifically, the maneuvers allowed neutralizing a building in Qantara, another in Yater, and a third in Alma al-Chaeb, as well as a rocket launcher.
With these, the targets of Hezbollah hit since the start of the fighting increased to “approximately 4,500,” in which about 700 fighters were wounded and another 300 killed, including “five senior commanders” and “dozens of cells” that had been behind offensives against Israel.
“We are committed to the diplomatic process, but Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in making our military decisions,” commented Tel Aviv Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on the possibility of reaching a peace agreement on the northern border, something that seems increasingly distant due to the lack of commitment from the other party.
