Opposition leader Yair Lapid said Monday he supports the military's request to reopen the 2026 budget for additional defense spending, but conditioned approval on canceling coalition funds and budgets that finance Haredi draft-dodging, while avoiding tax hikes on the middle class and reservists, according to The Zioneer.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid's office issued a statement Monday afternoon clarifying his position on the proposed reopening of the 2026 budget for defense spending. Lapid supports the military's request but insists the additional funds must come from canceling coalition funds and budgets that finance Haredi draft exemptions, while avoiding any tax increases on middle-class Israelis and reservists. The statement follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's request earlier in the day during a security briefing with Lapid.
At 14:49 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that during the briefing, Lapid had expressed conditional support for the budget reopening. At 15:38, The Zioneer further reported that Lapid's office said the opposition would back the proposal if his conditions were met, adding the detail that no tax hikes on the middle class and reservists would be acceptable. The Zioneer has been tracking the budget debate: on August 10, it reported that Netanyahu was considering reopening the budget and that the Finance Ministry warned it would come at the expense of education and health. On July 1, Lapid accused Haredi politicians of sending soldiers to die while securing funding.
The fiscal debate unfolds as the coalition advances the Basic Law: Torah Study, which aims to grant constitutional protection to draft exemptions for yeshiva students, as The Zioneer reported on June 30. The Finance Ministry's professional staff has estimated that restoring allowances for those who do not serve could force a 16% hike in direct taxes to compensate for lost productivity and increased state support.
It remains unclear whether the coalition will accept Lapid's conditions or whether the two sides will reach a compromise. Lapid's demand to cancel coalition funds and Haredi budgets directly challenges core coalition agreements, and negotiations are expected to continue.
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