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Knesset approved the 2021 national budget on Thursday, with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government meeting a deadline for its passage and averting the threat of a new election.
Parliament continued its overnight session and will hold a separate vote for a 2022 budget. It is widely expected to approve that package early on Friday.
The legislature voted 61-59 vote in favor of the 2021 budget in a test for Bennett's diverse coalition of right-wing, centrist, left-wing and Arab parties.
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Knesset passes 2021 budget with 61 to 59 majority, early on Thursday
(Photo: Knesset Channel)
Failure to win parliamentary ratification for the 2021 package by Nov. 14 would have triggered a new election by law, but many political commentators had predicted it would be approved.
A prolonged political stalemate in Israel had meant that no budget had been approved in the legislature in more than 3-1/2 years. The country has been running with a pro-rated version of the 2019 budget, something economists say is hindering growth.
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Ministers and legislators pose for celebratory photo after passage of 2021 portion of budget bill on Thursday
(Photo: Knesset Channel)
Passage of the 2021 budget came nearly five months after Bennett's government took office, replacing the administration of long-time leader Benjamin Netanyahu following four inconclusive elections in two years.
"It's a day for celebration for the State of Israel," Bennett, who heads a far-right party, said on Twitter after the vote.
"After years of chaos, we established a government, overcame the (COVID-19) Delta variant and now, thank God, we passed a budget for Israel."
First published: 07:44, 11.04.21