The Knesset plenum is expected to approve today (Monday) in the second and third readings the government's bill to add NIS 31 billion to the 2025 budget for security expenditures.
Noam party chairman MK Avi Maoz, who left the coalition over budget demands for Religious Zionist Talmud Torah schools, informed the coalition that he is joining the haredi parties and will vote against the security budget that is due to be brought to a vote in the plenum.
Coalition members were surprised by Maoz's announcement and even claimed, "He endangers Israel's security, harms the war effort and becomes an opposition to the state and the IDF and not only to the government," they said.
The coalition emphasized that the budget due to pass today includes only an additional NIS 30 billion for the security budget, funding urgently needed to continue the war, and without it the IDF will be forced to halt all orders and procurement, will not be able to purchase munitions or fuel the tanks, and will not be able to pay salaries and grants to reservists.
NIS 30 billion is not an insignificant sum that can be absorbed by other means without the legislation that increases the budget, coalition members said, adding, "It is surprising that Maoz, who claims to represent parts of Religious Zionism that serve and take a central role in the war, would go and topple the security budget and could cause the war to stop and harm Israel's security."
"It is one thing for the haredim who are not part of the war to vote against the budget, but Maoz was expected to act responsibly and not to become an opposition to the IDF and the state's security and to bring down the budget vital for continuing the war, and we hope he will come to his senses and allow the passage of the essential budget," they said.
Maoz responded, "Those who harm the state's security are those who introduce humanitarian aid at the expense of the Israeli taxpayer. And because the budget we will vote on includes humanitarian aid for Hamas terrorists, I will vote against it today."