Departing for the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday evening expressed confidence the budget would be approved this week, despite “desperate” attempts by the opposition to prevent its passage and effectively topple the government.
In a short address on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport that included no references to the climate crisis, Bennett said: “Here in Israel we expect a crazy week, which will get wilder every day as the vote on the budget gets closer. The moment the budget passes, it gives the government stability for several years.”
Bennett said “the budget will pass because Israel needs stability… because the country needs good, calm management… because no one wants to return to the endless elections cycle.”
The last time an Israeli government managed to pass a budget was in March 2018. Failure to approve the budget was what brought down the previous government late last year. Israel has had four election cycles since April 2019.
The budget bill for 2021 passed its first reading in September by a 59-54 vote, with the 2022 budget getting the go-ahead with a vote of 59 to 53.
Read more at Times of Israel.
{Matzav.com}
