Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has reportedly decided to postpone the cabinet budget discussions to after the September-October holiday period over concerns that the Knesset will not approve the proposal as it currently stands.
The cabinet was supposed to begin reviewing the budget on September 2 and finalize its submission to the Knesset by September 13, under a timetable released last week by Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
These talks will now be held in mid-October, according to reports in the Hebrew-language business dailies, although no official announcement has been made. The Prime Minister’s Office and Treasury did not respond to requests for confirmation.
Discussions between Treasury and Defense Ministry officials over defense expenditure, generally the largest component of the state budget, are still scheduled to begin Wednesday.
