Knesset plenum
Knesset plenumKnesset Spokesperson

The government on Monday evening approved a ten percent cut in the salaries of ministers and Knesset members.

Ministers Miri Regev, Amir Ohana, Ofir Akunis and Pnina Tamano-Shata also proposed a cut in the salaries of senior members of the judiciary and not only the salaries of ministers and Knesset members.

Minister Akunis said that "I am in favor of reducing the salaries of ministers and MKs. This is an obvious personal example. Members of the executive authority contribute their share, members of the legislature contribute their share, but why were members of the judiciary excluded from the proposal? I propose to include them and everyone in the public sector whose salary stands at over 40,000 shekels in the proposal to reduce wages."

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, "First of all, I welcome this. I think it is excellent that a proposal has been made here to set a personal example as elected officials and on the basis of this personal example, we should come in contact with all kinds of bodies, judges, other senior officials, etc. I suggest not to come out against the judges or others. It would be a big mistake from a leadership point of view. It's good that we're doing this, but I suggest that we not throw the baby out with the bathwater."

The government decision instructed the Finance Minister to look into the issue of salary cuts for the President, judges and heads of authorities.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday morning, "I support the cuts in the salaries of ministers and Knesset members. It’s nice that they remembered to finally stop this scandal. Yesh Atid has been waging the war against raising MKs' salaries since 2015. All these years we have been donating the shameful wage increases that the MKs have arranged for themselves."