The budget will be used for campaigns to raise awareness and promote Israel around the world, with the government already authorizing NIS 1 billion.
Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich I agree with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar with a budget of 2.35 billion shekels (almost 750 million US dollars) for stomach (public diplomacy) as part of the new 2026 budget presented on Friday.
The budget will be used for campaigns to raise awareness and promote Israel around the world, with the government already authorizing NIS 1 billion.
“Along with the increase in the budget, the government approved my proposal to create a public diplomacy department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Accordingly, the ministry will appoint a head of the public diplomacy department, just as there is a head of the political department. The unit will coordinate the work of the ministry on the issue of propaganda,” Saar said.
The budget will also be used, among other things, to fund social media campaigns, collaboration with civil society organizations and bringing delegations of opinion leaders, elected officials, influencers and others to Israel, the government said in a statement.
“Our enemies are investing huge amounts of money against us in this. Israel has operated with very modest means and must now both increase resources and adopt new and modern methods. The amounts approved are still modest compared to the challenges Israel faces in the world, but this is a significant breakthrough,” Saar added.
Now the budget, which has already been criticized by opposition figures such as Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), will have to be approved by the Knesset before becoming official.
NIS 112 billion for defense in 2026
One of the highlights budget 2026 increase in defense spending agreed between Smotrich and Defense Minister Israel Katz after the talks. According to the project, by 2026 this amount will be 112 billion shekels ($35 billion).
The war between Israel and Hamas has been costly for Israel, which spent NIS 100 billion in 2024 on conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel has since reached ceasefire agreements with both terrorist groups.
Smotrich's office said the defense budget for 2026 has increased by 47 billion shekels compared to 2023, on the eve of the war.
“This year we are allocating a huge budget to strengthen the army, but it will also allow us to return the State of Israel to the path of growth and making life easier for citizens,” Smotrich said, according to a statement from his office.
Reuters contributed to this report.
