Nearly four weeks into a war that has so far failed to achieve the toppling of Iran's clerical rulers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly looking to stave off early elections.
The Knesset passed the bill expanding the powers of religious courts, such as a rabbinical or Sharia court, in its second and third reading.
On stage, Netanyahu did not hold back in praising his hosts. “We are deeply grateful for the friendship and support of Prime Minister Orban and Hungary. We have no better friends in Europe,” he said.
The comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were the most explicit yet by a senior Israeli official on seizing Lebanese territory in a fight Israel says targets Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
If the state budget is not approved in all three readings by next week, when the fiscal year closes at the end of the month, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, and elections will be called.
The poll also tested a scenario where Eisenkot's Yashar! would join lists with Bennett. In that scenario, the list, led by Bennett, won 33 seats, one more than the parties would receive separately.
Haskel argues that the system is failing, with private daycare costing parents thousands of shekels a month, and even more for families with multiple young children.
Netanyahu claimed that the Iranian regime was around a year off from creating intercontinental ballistic missiles that could have hit the United States.
Golan warned against continuing a military campaign without working on a diplomatic solution, explaining that Hezbollah is currently “at a low point, militarily, politically, and economically.”
The updated budget, which passed in the plenum by a margin of 53–45, must still pass its final votes before the end of March.
Siminovski’s appointment was reportedly influenced by her expertise in technology, with the upcoming elections scheduled for no later than October 2026.
