Bezalel Smotrich
Ahead of the Cabinet vote, heads of local authorities accused the government of making them “chase after the budgets” at a time of war.
Israel’s finance minister said he will not transfer funds to Ramallah.
While the heads of the IDF, Israel Security Agency and National Security Council argued in favor of the workers’ entry, subject to restrictions, the Israel Police and key Likud figures opposed the move.
The 30.3 billion shekel ($8.2 billion) budget will see Israel through the end of the year.
Recent polling shows that most Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the Oct. 7 massacre.
The minister is calling for an urgent Cabinet meeting to discuss the security situation.
“We do not repeat mistakes and concepts that we paid dearly for,” Israel’s finance minister said.”
“Israel in an emergency. We must unite and win,” said National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the reports “fake news” after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned of “consequences” if reports regarding the transfer were true.
Tension between Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant adds another layer of complexity to an already-complex situation, experts tell JNS.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie Hallett invited “many” other Israeli officials to the event, according to Israeli media reports.
“The free market is smarter than the leaders of the barn-burning campaign thought,” the finance minister said.
