Itamar Ben Gvir and Yitzhak Wasserlauf
Itamar Ben Gvir and Yitzhak WasserlaufChaim Goldberg/Flash 90

The Otzma Yehudit party is intensifying its fight against the coalition, and members of the party voted on Tuesday evening against one of the budget laws that was brought to a vote in the Knesset plenum.

Despite the party’s opposition, the economic efficiency bill passed its second and third readings with the support of 55 Knesset members against 52 who voted against it.

The party is accusing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of blocking the transfer of hundreds of millions of shekels to the police.

Otzma Yehudit stated, "Due to Minister Smotrich's reckless decision to harm the salaries of police officers and prison guards—a bullying decision that hurts people who risk their lives for Israel's security—and his additional decision to retroactively cut one billion shekels from the 2024 budget, in violation of a signed agreement between the Finance Minister and the Minister of National Security, the Otzma Yehudit faction will vote against the budget legislation being brought to a vote tonight."

Earlier, it was reported that Otzma Yehudit is blocking the approval of a law concerning National Insurance, which would bring more than 4.5 billion shekels into the state's coffers and must pass by the end of the year.

In response to the blockage of the law, the Ministry of Finance announced that it is delaying the transfer of 859 million shekels for police equipment. The Ministry of Finance said that this move is intended to save money in case the law does not pass, as Otzma Yehudit has threatened.