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Knesset rejects 3 no-confidence votes The Knesset rejected by wide majority three no-confidence votes issued by opposition parties. (Ilan Marciano) Peres blames Shinui for power of religious party Vice Premier Shimon Peres on Monday blamed the Shinui party for the power the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party has to demand changes in the state budget. "If Shinui would vote in favor of the budget, United Torah Judaism would not have bargaining power," Peres said. (Attila Somfalvi)(02.28.05, 15:27)

Last Update: 12/01/2005 23:03 PM wins war of wills with Likud rebels on State Budget bill By Mazal Mualem and Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondents The Knesset on Wednesday approved the first reading of the 2005 State Budget bill after the Likud rebels decided to support it. The bill was passed by a majority of 64 to 53 MKs, thus preventing a deep parliamentary crisis as sources close to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned that if the bill was rejected, Sharon would not hesitate to call on new elections. The anti-disengagement Likud rebels decided earlier on Wednesday to vote in favor...

Jan. 11, 2005 20:34 | Updated Jan. 11, 2005 23:17B> Rebels to decide government's fate By NINA GILBERT AND GIL HOFFMAN The fate of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's two-day-old national-unity government will be decided on Wednesday morning when the so-called rebels convene at the Knesset to decide how they will vote on the 2005 state budget. Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu brought the budget before the Knesset for a first reading for a second time on Tuesday without knowing for certain whether he would have a majority to get it approved on Wednesday. The budget deals totaling NIS 890 million with...

Netanyahu: Finance social services but don't breach budgetMinister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu: Don't bring Labor into the government as it will break up Likud. Revenue surplus will be used to cut taxes. Zeev Klein 3 Aug 04 12:13Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu continues to oppose the Labor Party joining the government. He is prepared to allocate money for social services, provided that the ministers agree to make greater cuts in their respective ministries' budgets. Netanyahu said if ministers want more money for social services, they must find the necessary financing without breaching the budget framework. Minister of Industry Trade and...

Last Update: 23/12/2003 22:45Knesset panel to reduce cuts to culture, welfare budgets By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent The chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee Avraham Hirchson decided Tuesday, after meeting with officials from the treasury and the Labor Social Affairs Ministry to cancel the planned NIS 70 million cut to the 2003 welfare budget.The Finance Ministry will transfer NIS 35 million to the welfare budget, and the Ministry of Social Affairs will provide the rest of the money in order to prevent damage to weak sectors in the population. Treasury officials promised the Finance Committee on Tuesday to decrease the...

Nov. 3, 2003 Budget, economic arrangement bill goes to Knesset Tuesday By NINA GILBERT In spite of the ongoing labor strife, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's 2004 budget and economic arrangements bill are to be presented before the Knesset on Tuesday. The government is expected to easily win approval for the first reading of the legislation on Wednesday. The NIS 254.7 billion spending package is 3.5 percent less than the 2003 budget. The Knesset opposition announced Monday it would launch a parliamentary and public campaign to provoke negative public opinion against the approval of the budget on December 31. Under an...

Defense chiefs agree NIS 2.25b cut in 2003 budget The cut amounts to 40% of the amount originally planned. A top-level meeting will discuss the cut tomorrow. Zeev Klein and Zvi Lavi 11 Mar 03 16:35The Ministry of Defense has consented to a NIS 2.25 billion budget cut, 40% of the NIS 5.5 billion cut passed by the cabinet and the Knesset two months ago. Following sharp disputes between the parties, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon summoned Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz to another discussion tomorrow in Sharon’s office. The Ministry of Finance is demanding...

Shalom to present Sharon with NIS 7-10b 2003 budget cut Minister of Finance Silvan Shalom’s budget framework involves cutting the ratio of government spending to GDP, and a civil service wage freeze. Zeev Klein 12 Feb 03 19:18Minister of Finance Silvan Shalom and senior Ministry of Finance officials will present Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a framework for the new cuts in the 2003 budget. The decision to expedite discussion of the new economic plan was settled a few minutes ago between Sharon and Shalom. The framework includes a NIS 7-10 billion budget cut, reducing the ratio of government spending...