Israel Boosts War Effort Against Hamas with $8 Billion Budget Allocation, Despite Controversial Funding Decisions

 The Israeli parliament has passed an amended 2023 budget, allocating new funds for the war against Hamas. The additional fiscal measures, totaling around 30 billion shekels ($8 billion), were approved with 59 votes in favor and 44 against in the 120-seat parliament. Of the additional funds, 17 billion shekels will be used to support Israel's war effort, while the remaining 13.5 billion shekels will go towards supporting civilians impacted by the conflict. The war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has been ongoing for three months, with the aim of dismantling the militant group following its attacks on October 7th.

Israeli officials claim that these attacks resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians. However, the Hamas-run health ministry in Palestinian territory reports that over 18,700 people, the majority of whom are women and children, have been killed in the conflict. A significant portion of the civilian funding will be allocated to residents of southern Israeli communities that have been targeted by Hamas attacks. Some funding will also be directed towards inhabitants of areas near the Lebanon border, who have faced almost daily rocket attacks by Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group allied with Hamas.

Approximately 250,000 people living in these active combat zones have been evacuated, and the funding will cover their security needs, as well as provide support for shelters, hospitals, and emergency services. The overall 2023 budget, totaling approximately 600 billion shekels, underwent intense discussions with far-right and religious coalition partners before elements of the center-right opposition joined to form a national unity administration. The budget has faced criticism from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who rejected an offer to join the emergency government.

A discretionary fund of 14 billion shekels, shared between the parties of the pre-war government, has sparked controversy, as hundreds of millions of shekels have been allocated to ultra-Orthodox communities and Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are deemed illegal under international law. In the latest development, the Knesset approved an additional 25.9 billion shekels ($7 billion) to be added to the national budget. This will help cover costs related to the Gaza war, including compensation for military reservists and emergency housing for internally displaced individuals.

The amended budget increases the 2023 budget to 510 billion shekels ($139 billion). The proposal allocates 17 billion shekels for defense expenses and around 12 billion shekels for civil and other expenses. The additional funds will be obtained through an increase in the budget and appropriations from other budgets. During the approval process, there were some incidents that affected the voting. Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party was absent from the vote, and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein initially voted in favor but later requested to amend his vote to abstain.

Members of Benny Gantz's National Unity Party were late to the session but asked to add their votes to the protocol. Some lawmakers marked themselves as present without casting a vote. Last week, the revised national budget for 2023 passed the first of three mandatory votes in the Knesset, gaining approval from 62 lawmakers out of a total of 120. The budget faced opposition from Benny Gantz's National Unity Party, with 12 lawmakers voting against it. Economy Minister Nir Barkat, a member of the Likud party, skipped the vote after his request for additional funding was rejected.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was absent, citing a "pairing agreement" with an opposition lawmaker to mutually cancel out each other's nonvoting. Gantz, who joined Netanyahu's new war cabinet, voted against the measure. Even though it had been previously stated that objections should be filed to remove expenses unrelated to the war, Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein ultimately voted for the budget. With the passage of the amended 2023 budget, Israel aims to strengthen its war effort against Hamas and provide support for civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.