Israel government’s fate hangs on key budget vote

Israel government’s fate hangs on key budget vote

JERUSALEM: The Israeli government’s budget headed for parliamentary approval Wednesday, a key test that will largely determine whether Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett’s ideologically disparate eight-party coalition remains in power. Israel has not passed a state budget in three years, a symptom of the unprecedented political gridlock that plagued the country from December 2018 until June when the Bennett government was sworn in. His coalition has until November 14 to get the budget approved or Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, will be dissolved, forcing new elections. “We are at the finish line and before us are exhausting days and long nights in the Knesset, but the budget will pass,” Bennett said ahead of a cabinet meeting Thursday. The government has proposed a 609-billion shekel ($194-billion) spending plan for 2021 and 573 billion shekels for next year. Bennett’s government secured preliminary approval for a spending package in September, a technical step that allowed Knesset committees to scrutinize the proposals. The committees were due to wrap up their reviews on Wednesday evening, when a general parliamentary debate on the package could commence. The formal voting process may not begin until Thursday or later and the approval process could take several days. Bennett told lawmakers