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Israel’s 2026 state budget cleared the Knesset in a late-night vote, but the final moments of the session produced a political surprise: hundreds of millions of shekels were funneled to yeshivos and chareidi educational institutions after opposition lawmakers mistakenly backed the measure.

The budget, totaling roughly 699 billion shekels—the largest in Israel’s history during an ongoing war—was approved by a 62–55 vote in an overnight session between Sunday and Monday.

In the final minutes before the vote, coalition members introduced a series of objections of their own—an unusual move—which included provisions directing significant funding to chareidi institutions.

The maneuver had been kept quiet for days and appears to have confused opposition members. Some voted in favor of the objections, believing they were routine challenges to the budget. The result was a lopsided outcome: 107 lawmakers supported the measure, while only four opposed it.

Coalition officials said the step did not expand the budget, but rather released funds that had already been allocated and later frozen due to legal hurdles. Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, had previously declined to approve the use of the funds, citing concerns tied to the exemption of yeshiva students from military service and related High Court rulings. The coalition ultimately advanced the funding through what it described as a technical budget adjustment.

Opposition leaders reacted angrily. Opposition chairman Yair Lapid accused the government of abusing the process to transfer political funds during a time of national emergency.

Lapid wrote: “There has never been anything like this in the history of the Knesset. Right now, in the plenum, the coalition added at the last minute hundreds of millions of shekels to the chareidi parties beyond the budget framework! This is a group of despicable thieves disconnected from the people, looting the citizens of Israel while they are in shelters.”

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also blasted the move, calling it a disgraceful political grab carried out during wartime.

Bennett wrote: “The government of greed and draft-dodging carried out a nighttime grab to transfer an additional 800,000,000 shekels to chareidi education. Soon we will replace them and fix everything.”

Coalition figures rejected the criticism and instead faulted the opposition for failing to carefully review what they were voting on. Minister Ze’ev Elkin ridiculed the confusion, describing it as a parliamentary failure by the opposition.

Amid the political clash, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich struck an upbeat tone about the economy, saying that despite the war, Israel’s economic data points to stability and growth. He said the approved budget is intended to strengthen security while ensuring the economy continues to function.

Transportation Security Administration employees are set to receive their paychecks this week following an order from President Donald Trump, according to White House border czar Tom Homan, who said uncertainty remains over how long federal immigration agents will continue assisting at airports.

Homan explained that the timeline for withdrawing immigration personnel from airports is still unclear and will depend on staffing levels within the TSA.

“We’ll see,” Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It depends on how many TSA agents come back to work, how many TSA agents have actually quit and have no plans [of] coming back to work.”

He said he spoke Saturday with newly appointed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and that plans are in place to ensure TSA workers are paid by early this week, likely Monday or Tuesday.

Homan added that he is coordinating with acting TSA Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill and acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons to assess what is required to keep airport operations running smoothly.

According to Homan, ICE agents are maintaining a strong presence at airports due to heightened national security concerns tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

During testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee last week, McNeill said that 480 TSA officers have resigned since DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 14. She also noted that more than 1,100 officers left during last year’s broader government shutdown.

In a separate interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Homan said immigration agents will remain deployed at airports until conditions return to normal operational readiness.

“If fewer TSA agents come back, that means we’ll keep more ICE agents there,” he said.

“The president has been clear. He wants to secure those airports… ICE is there to help our brothers and sisters in TSA. We’ll be there as long as they need us.”

Homan emphasized that, despite the expected pay for TSA employees, many other Department of Homeland Security workers—including personnel in the Coast Guard and Secret Service—are still not receiving funding, urging Congress to act.

He pointed to disagreements in Washington, saying Democrats are withholding support for DHS funding unless major changes are made to immigration enforcement policies, particularly those involving ICE.

“They want to talk about, you know, immigration policies,” Homan said. “We can talk about that. But why do you got to hold the rest of the DHS hostage to do that?

“Let’s sit down and talk. I’ve been talking to them for the last two weeks.”

At the same time, Congress is currently on a two-week recess, a situation Homan criticized sharply.

“The American people hold Congress responsible,” Homan told Brennan. “They’re on vacation right now while tens of thousands of DHS employees aren’t being paid.”

Although Republicans control both chambers of Congress, Homan argued that Democrats are responsible for blocking DHS funding.

“They simply won’t fund DHS, because they want to change ICE policies, so ICE is less effective in the interior,” Homan said.

“Remember why we’re here. We’re here because the last four years of an open border, millions of people are in this country illegally, many public safety threats, national security threats, and we’re out seeking them and arresting them.

“And they simply don’t like ICE enforcing the law.”

Homan noted that he assumed leadership of ICE operations following the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, an incident that prompted renewed calls from Democrats for policy changes.

He said the current funding bill includes additional resources, including money for equipment such as surveillance cameras.

“The bill they’re holding up right now actually gives $120 million to buy more cameras,” Homan said.

“I’ve already talked to them. They want to talk about policy and legislative policy. Look, if they want to change the law, change the law. We’re enforcing laws they enacted.”

Democrats are also pushing for new restrictions on immigration enforcement, including limiting officers’ ability to enter private homes, an issue Homan said is under discussion.

“We’re already in discussions on that.”

Homan added that he remains in frequent contact with Mullin as they work through policy decisions, while stressing that any legal changes must come from Congress.

“If they don’t like the law to allow us entry into the home, then change the law,” he said.

“They want an arrest warrant to just arrest an illegal alien. There’s nothing in federal law that says that. Matter of fact, the law that Congress wrote says you can arrest an illegal alien with an administrative warrant. That’s what the federal statute says.”

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sharply criticized Israeli police after Christian clergy were barred from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday, calling the move an “unfortunate overreach” that has triggered global backlash.

According to the Latin Patriarchate of Yerushalayim, Israeli authorities prevented the Latin Patriarch from conducting Palm Sunday services at the historic church, marking what it described as an unprecedented disruption. The Patriarchate said this was “for the first time in centuries,” attributing the restrictions to security concerns tied to the ongoing war with Iran.

Church officials said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo were stopped by police as they made their way to the site, which is revered by Christians.

“As a result, and for the first time in centuries, the Heads of the Church were prevented from celebrating the Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” it said in a statement.

Israeli police said the restrictions were part of broader emergency measures that have been in place since the start of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. They noted that access to all major religious sites in Yerushalayim’s Old City—across Christian, Muslim, and Jewish traditions—has been limited, particularly in locations lacking adequate bomb shelter protection.

Authorities also confirmed that a request by church leaders for a special exemption to allow Palm Sunday services was denied.

“The Old City and the holy sites constitute a complex area that does not allow access for large emergency and rescue vehicles, which significantly challenges response capabilities and poses a real risk to human life in the event of a mass casualty incident,” police said.

Huckabee said in a social media post that the decision was already causing “major repercussions around the world.”

“Home Front Command Guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less,” Huckabee said. “The 4 representatives of the Catholic Church were well below that restriction.”

“Statements from the Gov’t of Israel indicate the action to prohibit Cardinal Pizzaballa entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were for safety reasons, but churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem have met with the restrictions of 50 or less,” Huckabee added.

He added that the police action was hard to explain or defend, even in light of the ongoing security situation.

“Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities,” Huckabee said.

The incident also drew a response from European leaders. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he intends to summon Israel’s ambassador to address the matter.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron also criticized the move, saying it “adds to the worrying increase in violations of the status of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.”

{Matzav.com}