Israel parliament approves budget as hostage families protest in chamber
Failure to approve the budget by March 31 would have triggered snap elections
[JERUSALEM] Israel’s parliament gave final approval to the long delayed 2025 state budget on Tuesday (Mar 25), in a turbulent session that showed how lawmakers and the country remain divided over the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the wider political landscape.
Parliament, known as the Knesset, passed the budget by a 66-52 margin. Failure to have approved the budget by March 31 would have triggered snap elections.
“This is a budget of war, and with God’s help it will be a budget of victory,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said moments before voting on the budget began.
The debate took place in a stormy session of the Knesset, where families of some of the hostages entered the main plenum and held up posters and photos of their loved ones. They were joined by opposition lawmakers who also held up signs with “59“, the number of hostages still in Gaza since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
About 24 of them are believed to be still alive.
Ahead of the vote, protesters outside tried to block parliament members from entering the building. “There is freedom of expression in the State of Israel, but no one is free to forcibly block the democratic process in the Knesset,” said Amir Ohana, the Knesset’s speaker.
Israel’s military resumed its campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza last week, shattering a two-month ceasefire. On Tuesday, the army told residents in all northern border towns in Gaza to evacuate, saying Palestinian rockets had been fired at Israel from the area.
The return to fighting has led to mass protests in Israel demanding a return to negotiations to bring back the remaining hostages and bodies. REUTERS
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