Netanyahu and Lapid Clash Over 40 Billion Shekel Defense Budget

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid are locked in a dispute over a request to reopen the state budget to allocate 40 billion shekels to the Israel Defense Forces. The funding is intended to address a severe crisis characterized by depleted munitions and delayed procurement, including a potential three-year delay for Apache helicopter squadrons. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned the government that the military's coffers are empty, a financial distress the IDF leadership had reportedly signaled for a year.

During a security meeting in Jerusalem, Lapid conditioned his support for the budget increase on the cancellation of coalition funds and budgets used to finance Haredi draft evasion. He argued that the military must be strengthened without increasing taxes on reservists and the middle class. By September 16, Lapid further demanded the immediate transfer of 11 billion shekels for urgent procurement through the defense budget committee, asserting this could be done without breaching the budget framework.

The Likud party and Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected Lapid's claims as baseless, asserting that higher state revenues and a lower deficit mean the funds are available without tax hikes. Likud accused the opposition of prioritizing political gain over national security, while Lapid's office countered that the ruling coalition is lying and abandoning the state's security.