Finance Ministry Legal Adviser Flags Alternatives to NIS 2.6 Billion Cut

Finance Ministry legal adviser Dudi Kopel has warned that a proposed NIS 2.6 billion reduction across ministries could significantly affect their work late in the year. His newly disclosed opinion approves the proposal in principle but says professional officials identified alternative funding sources, including unused allocations and spending not essential to ongoing operations. The cabinet is expected to consider the cut on Sunday, October 18, to finance urgent defense procurement. The proposal amounts to about 4.9% of flexible government purchasing budgets, with roughly NIS 420 million combined from education, welfare and health.