During a security briefing with opposition leader Yair Lapid, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the reopening of the 2026 budget to allocate additional funds for the defense establishment, according to Yediot Ahronot. Lapid expressed support for increased defense spending but stipulated the funds must come from canceling coalition funds and Haredi draft-dodging budgets, not from tax hikes. Lapid's office said the opposition would back the proposal if his conditions are met.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid met this afternoon for a security briefing, attended by the Deputy Chief of Staff, according to a report from Yediot Ahronot. The Zioneer had earlier reported that the meeting was underway.
During the briefing, Netanyahu asked Lapid to support reopening the state budget to increase defense spending, the report said. Lapid responded that he supports strengthening the IDF but insisted the funding must come from canceling coalition funds — discretionary budgets allocated to governing coalition parties — and budgets associated with Haredi draft exemptions, rather than from raising taxes on the middle class and reserve soldiers. According to a statement from Lapid's office, if those conditions are met, the opposition would support the proposal in the Knesset.
The request marks a new attempt by the prime minister to secure broader consensus on defense funding amid ongoing security challenges. The Finance Ministry had previously warned that reopening the budget could come at the expense of education and health. Lapid's proposal to redirect coalition funds avoids that trade-off but faces political hurdles within the coalition.
3 developments
Source and signal
- Open-source intake