Overview
- Lawmakers approved the 2026 spending plan in a first reading by 62–55, sending the bill to the Finance Committee with two further votes required by law.
- Degel HaTorah and Shas backed the first reading after rabbinic consultations, while UTJ's Agudat Yisrael faction voted against, exposing a rare split within the Haredi alliance.
- Degel HaTorah says its support is conditional on advancing the draft-exemption legislation, disputing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s claim of a commitment to support all readings.
- The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee completed its reading of the conscription bill, but Haredi leaders say legal advisers must approve the wording before they can support it.
- Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron urged passage without loosening the 3.9% deficit target, as Netanyahu pressed to avoid early elections and a political row erupted over an AI video alleging a budget-for-draft deal.