Knesset okays 2019 budget
The Knesset approved the 2019 Economic Arrangements Law with 62 members voting in favor and 54 members against on Wednesday night. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was absent, as he was suffering from a fever and a sore throat.
MK Yehudah Glick (Likud) voted in favor of the 2019 budget despite earlier promises to vote against it. Glick said in a phone interview with Maariv that Netanyahu committed to meeting Glick on Sunday to address the issue of smoking in Israel.
Glick previously called smoking “the number one cause of death in Israel” and claimed he would not support a budget that did not address the issue.
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) refrained from voting due to a previous promise to increase the wages of police officers and prison wardens so they equal the wages of career IDF soldiers, a commitment he claims was not met.
Hazan wrote on social media, “Prime Minister, you committed [to this]! I committed [to this]! We in the Likud party made a commitment! Commitments made to the public must be met!”
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said he was happy to present the budget for the State of Israel on Wednesday night and “Happy to say I will remain in the position of finance minister for Passover.”
“A week ago I said that if the state budget would not be approved by Passover night,” he said, “I would have to leave the office of finance minister. Tonight I am happy to say that on Passover night I will be in office and we will continue to serve the people of Israel.”
Kahlon boasted that the current budget has “amazing added sums [of money] to benefit civilian issues” and stressed it belongs to all Israelis regardless of political or religious views. He added that while the opposition is correct in calling for even further social spending, as “it’s never enough.” He added, “The people of Israel will wait for your reforms, until then all you say will be mere talk.”
“Had we not passed the 2019 budget now, reform planned for 2018 would not have been approved,” he said.
Kahlon also wished the ailing Netanyahu good health.