Netanyahu, Katz and Smotrich agreed: The state budget will be broken immediately after the elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed to open the state budget frameworks immediately after the elections, in order to approve billions in additions to the defense establishment. The budget will be brought for a first reading in the Knesset in temporary committees that will be established immediately after the Knesset is sworn in. In a discussion held last week headed by Government Secretary Yossi Fuchs, Budget Commissioner Mehran Prosenfer, Attorney General Nir Weingold and other senior officials, it was agreed to bring a budget that would cover the gaps of the defense establishment until the middle of next year. The exact budget amount is not yet known and is being formulated these days. This is an unusual step, as before the elections Netanyahu tried to open the defense budget but encountered opposition from the opposition. The assessments in the government are that the budget addition, if approved, could prevent the budget cut that the government decided on last week, and that the deficit target (4.9%) may not be breached in light of the positive surprises from taxes.