Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on Tuesday that the government will pass the annual state budget this month without the highly debated ultra-Orthodox draft exemption law, which will be temporarily shelved, while the defense budget will be increased by roughly $9 billion amid the ongoing war with Iran.
“We are now putting aside controversial issues that are not suitable for wartime,” Smotrich said, citing both the legislation exempting yeshiva students from military service as well as several unspecified reforms.
The finance minister said the decision was made with coalition partners, signaling that the ultra-Orthodox parties agreed to wait until after the state budget is approved to advance the draft exemption bill.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the defense budget will be increased by 28 billion shekels ($9 billion) from the 112 billion shekels ($34 billion) originally cited in the state budget, which passed its first of three required readings in the Knesset in January.
Israel’s state budget is approved first by the government, which finalizes the spending plan before sending it to parliament. Knesset lawmakers then debate the proposal and must pass it in three readings. Failure to do so before the March 31 deadline triggers automatic snap elections.
The Knesset goes on its annual Passover recess on April 1.
