Watan-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing widespread criticism over his spending plans. The financial news outlet Calcalist reported that “the looting never stops,” accusing Netanyahu of trying to divert half a billion shekels to non-essential ministries rather than addressing Israel’s deepening budget deficit.
According to the report, the Prime Minister’s Office requested the Finance Committee to approve the transfer of 455 million shekels (approx. $129 million) from surplus funds for the 2024–2025 period to various ministries, including the Ministry of Heritage and the Ministry of Settlements.
These funds were allocated in last year’s budget law but were not distributed by the end of the fiscal year. The committee has yet to approve the transfers, but Netanyahu’s coalition holds a built-in majority in the Finance Committee, making passage likely
Opposition MK Vladimir Beliak, a member of the Finance Committee, said:”The Finance Committee is meeting to approve hundreds of millions for unnecessary ministries. We will fight this criminal opacity and restore rational, fair budget allocation.”
The planned transfers include:
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191 million shekels to the Ministry of Settlements (Minister: Orit Strock, Religious Zionism)
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88.42 million shekels to the Ministry of Social Equality (Minister: May Golan, Likud)
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4.15 million shekels to the Authority for the Advancement of Women (also under Golan)
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37 million shekels to the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and Galilee (Minister: Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Otzma Yehudit)
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32.35 million shekels to the Ministry of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition (Minister: Meir Porush, United Torah Judaism)
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27.42 million shekels to the Ministry of Heritage (Minister: Amichai Eliyahu, Otzma Yehudit)
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20.25 million shekels to the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs (Minister: Amichai Chikli, Likud)
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18 million shekels to the Ministry of Regional Cooperation (Minister: David Amsalem, Likud)
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15.4 million shekels to the Ministry for Strategic Affairs (Minister: Ron Dermer, Likud)
Coalition at Risk Over Tax Law
Netanyahu is also facing a serious threat to his coalition’s stability after failing to pass the Tax Evasion Law demanded by ultra-Orthodox parties. The political system is once again questioning the survival of the government and the timing of a potential early election—despite the next Knesset election being scheduled for October 2026.
Finance Committee Chair Moshe Gafni informed the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday:”If no meaningful progress is made on the bill by tonight, immediate measures will follow.”
The ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas have since withheld votes on coalition bills in protest. Gafni’s latest threat could escalate to freezing committee work, including his own Finance Committee, or halting support for government legislation.
In early April 2025, UTJ and Shas issued a deadline to Netanyahu: pass the Tax Evasion Law or risk their resignation from the coalition. That deadline expired earlier this week. In a last-ditch effort to delay the fallout, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs met with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chair Yuli Edelstein (Likud) and Haredi leaders led by Minister Ariel Atias (Shas), requesting a 10-day extension before any resignations.
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