KESHET NEEV

The decision followed debates in the committee that went late into the night. The second and third readings are expected to take place in the Knesset plenum on Thursday.

If the state budget is not approved in all three readings by next week, when the fiscal year closes at the end of the month, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and elections will be called.

"We're responding with great force, but not after civilians," Netanyahu said when asked by press what Israel's response would be to the Iranian attacks. 

Haskel argues that the system is failing, with private daycare costing parents thousands of shekels a month, and even more for families with multiple young children.

Golan warned against continuing a military campaign without working on a diplomatic solution, explaining that Hezbollah is currently “at a low point, militarily, politically, and economically.”

The timing of the elections will “heavily depend” on the results of the war and can cause the date to be moved up, said Prof. Gideon Rahat, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Olim, along with returning residents who have lived abroad for at least ten years, will be eligible for the tax exemption.

The updated budget, which passed in the plenum by a margin of 53–45, must still pass its final votes before the end of March.

Siminovski’s appointment was reportedly influenced by her expertise in technology, with the upcoming elections scheduled for no later than October 2026.

MK Avigdor Liberman warns that Israel is missing a critical opportunity to eliminate Hezbollah and topple the Iranian regime, urging decisive military and diplomatic action to ensure security.