Netanyahu’s Budget Battle and Palestinian Security Crackdown Show Stresses on Both Sides

Part of Netanyahu’s ruling coalition voted against his budget, while the Palestinian Authority fights Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin.

An officer from the Palestinian Authority holds his firearm as Palestinian security forces mount a major raid against militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Dec. 16, 2024. Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo

As forces in the Middle East shift rapidly, both Israel’s ruling coalition and the forces governing Palestinian society are showing signs of strain.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government narrowly passed a wartime austerity budget by a 59–57 Knesset vote. A dissenting cabinet member and his fellow party members voted against it.