Knesset begins voting on new state budget
Knesset expected to vote on hundreds of clauses in 2015-2016 budget; technical glitch in voting system leads opposition to believe they won some of the votes.
The Knesset began the process of passing the 2015-2016 state budget on Wednesday afternoon in a marathon that is expected to include hundreds of voting sessions about many of the legislation's clauses, as well as the Arrangements Law.
Early in the session, anger broke out among the MKs due to repeated problems with the MKs' electronic voting system. Opposition MKs initially thought that they had won some votes over objections to some of the budget's clauses, but the glitch was quickly fixed.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon opened the session, saying, "The current socio-economic situation endangers Israel's national strength. We have declared war on it and are determined to win. The state budget which I am presenting sends a real message to the citizens of Israel. It allows us to ensure unemployment pay for independents, child benefits, about NIS 1 billion we've earmarked for public housing. It's a budget that preserves Israel's security and helps the country be more prepred to the challenges ahead."
Yesh Atid party leader MK Yair Lapid, whose failure as a finance minister to pass the state budget last term was one of the factors that led to the collapse of the previous government, criticized Kahlon's effort.
"This isn't a budget. It's a party for the guys. Today, the Knesset will pass a budget in which everybody gets something except for the citizens of Israel. They're just passing around money from one hand to the next, based on coalition agreements. This money goes to MKs who demand tens of millions of shekels for nice little projects of party members, associates, party institutions, anyone they like, anyone but the Israeli public."
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog also slammed the budget, saying, "I don't think the finance minister agrees with every section (of the budget) he is presenting today."
"Netanyahu promised to personally take care of any issues? So what if he said it? I know that the prime minister doesn't care that you can't live here with the rising cost of living and the housing crisis that has no solution," Herzog continued.
In order to stop the opposition from filibustering the budget by forcing the Knesset to vote on over 30,000 objections its members have raised against the legislation, the coalition used a parliamentary trick at the Knesset's House Committee that shortened the process.
A vote on all 30,000 objections would've dragged the voting over 11 days, during which, theoretically, the government could have fallen. But instead, the Knesset will only vote on 700-800 clauses, which it would be able to do in the time required by law.
