Protesters block entrance to Israel's parliament, scuffle with police as lawmakers vote on budget

Record ID: 1985920

  • Title: Protesters block entrance to Israel's parliament, scuffle with police as lawmakers vote on budget
  • Date: 25th March 2025
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 24, 2025) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SOUTH KOREAN ACTING PRESIDENT, HAN DUCK-SOO, WALKING UP TO LECTERN AND BOWING JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN ACTING PRESIDENT, HAN DUCK-SOO, SAYING: “As acting president, I will put all my efforts to maintain a stable administration in accordance with the Constitut
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: budget gaza war israel knesset protest
  • Location: JERUSALEM
  • City: JERUSALEM
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001147525032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Israeli protesters blocked the entrance to Israel's parliament and scuffled with police on Tuesday (March 25) as Knesset members inside were preparing to vote on the country's 2025 state budget.
    The vote was set to pass, preventing the government's collapse.
    Police removed protesters from the road, allowing vehicles carrying ministers and lawmakers to make their way in for the vote.
    The total of the long-delayed wartime budget will be 756 billion shekels ($203.5 billion), or 620 billion excluding debt servicing for a 21% rise in spending over 2024. The defence budget alone will be a record 110 billion shekels, while the deficit is set at 4.9% of gross domestic product.
    Israel spent $31 billion on its military conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon in 2024 and the government vowed to sharply boost defence spending going forward.
    Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had hoped the budget would be approved by the end of 2024, but political infighting among coalition partners delayed the final vote.
    (Production: Ronen Zvulun, Avivit Delgoshen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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