Incoming Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenzi has protested cuts to his office budget. In a letter to Finance Minister Israel Katz, Ashkenzi wrote: "The proposal constitutes extreme harm to the Foreign Ministry." The proposed cuts include reduction of services to Israeli citizens in six overseas embassies.
On Sunday the cabinet will be asked to approve a sweeping 1.5% budget cut across all existing government ministries to allow the establishment of new ministries created as part of the coalition government arrangement. In addition, there is an intention for similar cuts to Social Security and Employment Office budgets.
This is to enable the establishment of several new government offices even while Israel is struggling with more than one million unemployed.