• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

PM Netanyahu's Remarks at the Start of the Government Meeting to Approve the 2024 State Budget

Israel - Prime Minister's Office

The 37th Government
14.01.2024

Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks, today, at the start of the Government meeting to approve the 2024 state budget:

"One hundred days ago, the Hamas monsters invaded the State of Israel and massacred us. They raped and burned our citizens and took them hostage. We have returned half of them. We are not giving up on anyone. We are doing everything to bring them all back home. I emphasize: All of them, without exception. These efforts are continuing at all times, even at this moment. We will complete them at the same time as the completion of the other goals of the war.

One of the things that has become clear beyond all doubt is that we must conduct this war, and it will yet take many months. Therefore, today we are submitting a war budget. While this budget is indeed an annual budget, it is a budget for a year in which we are at war. This requires us to incur far greater security expenditures than we planned. We also understand that we will need to invest in a multi-year plan to free the State of Israel from dependence on external acquisitions for many items - in local procurement, in local production capabilities; all of this will reach the Government table.

But at this moment, what is required is, first of all, to cover the expenses of the war and to allow us to conduct the war in the coming year and complete it, including eliminating Hamas, returning our hostages and restoring security and the sense of security in both the north and the south so that the residents can return there. We will also submit here compensation and grants for reservists, the families of reservists, and the self-employed; they deserve a whole range of benefits. We are also submitting an increased budget for rebuilding the communities and the kibbutzim, and - of course - for returning the evacuees.

We are busy here - first of all - with the step of achieving immediate security, but we are also laying the foundations for security for generations. Here I say - we must all share in the burden. When I say 'we must all' I mean all Government ministries. This is what is being done in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). According to a preliminary evaluation carried out by Prof. Simhon, he told me that the relative cut to the PMO budget is the largest among all ministries. I do not know if it is the biggest but I demand that everyone share in the burden and render assistance as necessary.

I tell you that there are items about which I have not compromised: For example, tax credit points for parents of children aged 0-3, because this serves these people. These are usually people aged 30-40, they are now serving; this assists those who serve. I have also said that VAT will not be raised this year.

We usually do not raise taxes. It seems to me that the only taxes that we are submitting in this budget and in this year are on bank profits. There is also a tax on cigarettes. I know that there is good news about the investments we are providing to the Intel plant and the high-tech industry, but - first and foremost - there is vast investment in security.

This requires what are called 'adaptations' - this is a clean term for cuts. This is the truth, and this is how it is interpreted. Even so, the deficit will be increased because financing such a large increase in the security budget will also come as a result of our having to temporarily increase the deficit for this year, because we have a very strong economy, which we have built here together over the past 20 years, one of the most splendid economies in the world.

We have the possibility of increasing the deficit but on the other hand we must do the adaptations. I request that you all take the initiative to share in the burden. This is what I ask of all of you.

I know that we will yet deliberate during the day but this is my goal: I expect that in the coming day, in the next 24 hours, I am prepared to sit here as long as necessary, and if possible in the coming night we will finish this. We will submit a war budget for the State of Israel, a budget that ensures our security and our future. I thank you in advance."