If one loaf of bread can feed four people, but you try to divide that same loaf among five, in the end everyone will remain hungry.

The government is taking 2.6 billion NIS from civilian government ministries for defense procurement.

At "Civilian Compass," we explain the meaning of every post and every decision by Members of Parliament in plain, eye-level terms, so that every citizen can understand what real changes are hiding behind the billions of shekels.

The budget is a single entity. Every shekel added in one place must be taken from somewhere else.

What does the defense budget receive?

2.6 billion NIS. With this amount, you could buy about 170 Merkava tanks, or 8–9 F-35 fighter jets, or build two and a half hospitals on the scale of the hospital in Ashdod.

Where is the money being taken from, and what does it mean for us?

Education: A cut of 285 million NIS

This is more than the cost of one workday for the entire education system in Israel, and more than half the cost of the reform to reduce class sizes to 34 students, which cost 500 million NIS.

Less money for education may translate into more crowded classrooms and fewer resources for students.

National Security, Police, and Firefighting: A cut of 225 million NIS

The cut could affect the purchase of police cars, protective gear, and equipment for fire stations.

To illustrate: 50 million NIS was enough to purchase 174 additional police cars. In other words, 225 million NIS is equivalent to about 780 police cars.

Fewer vehicles and equipment could impair the ability of the police and firefighting forces to reach incidents quickly.

Health: A cut of 150 million NIS from the development and procurement budget

This is equivalent to the cost of 150 new hospital beds.

The purchase of medical equipment and the renovation of departments may be delayed. Since the beginning of the year, 600 million NIS has already been cut from the health budget—an amount equal to the cost of 600 hospital beds, by the same calculation.

Welfare: A cut of 140 million NIS

An amount approaching the cost of establishing four new schools.

And what was not cut?

Coalition funds for 2026, totaling about 5 billion NIS.

This is an amount equivalent to five hospitals on the scale of the hospital in Ashdod, or 20 days of operation for the entire education system.

This sum is almost double the current addition to the defense budget. And as part of this decision, not a single shekel was taken from it.

This is not our stance. These are the data.

Every citizen will decide for themselves what is important to them before going to the ballot box.

More tanks? Shorter waits for doctors? Less crowded classrooms? Or perhaps a reexamination of coalition funds and political agreements?

Ultimately, money is not just a number in the budget. It affects the lives of all of us.

Dr. Yigal Gutnick | Civilian Compass

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The data are based on information from MK Tatiana Mazarsky of the Yesh Atid party, received from the party, and on data published in the economic press.

The image was generated using artificial intelligence.