Knesset Finance C'tee okays NIS 2b budget cut to add funds to Defense Min.

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You get that? They lost so they brought in two new guys.

The Knesset Finance Committee approved on Wednesday a NIS 2 billion budget cut, taking money from several government offices and ministries to add funds to the defense budget for 2006.

The vote ended with 10 MKs backing the move, while nine others voted against it, after the budget cut was postponed twice.

To achieve the small majority, the Labor party had to replace two "rebel" MKs ? Shelly Yachimovich and Avishay Braverman ? with Yoram Marciano and Michael Melchior.

Haaretz

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1. MKs Sa'ar and Cohen acting to convene Knesset after poverty report

MKs Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) and Ran Cohen (Meretz-Yahad) are trying to get the signatures of 25 MKs in order to convene a special meeting of the Knesset during its recess for a discussion of the findings published in the poverty report and the government's decision to make cutbacks in social budgets.

"If the Knesset doesn't change its anti-social policy 180 degrees, Israel will end up as the sewer of history," said Cohen.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3297825,00.html