JERUSALEM, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israeli government approved on Sunday 22 billion new shekels (about 5.94 billion U.S. dollars) cuts in all government ministries' budgets over a 17-year period.
The cuts, one of the largest in Israel's history, were made to pay for higher pensions for police officers and prison guards.
The cuts to all ministries' budgets will be 1.3 percent in 2019 and to be followed by 1.55 percent every year from 2020 to 2035.
As part of the decision, a budget of half 1 billion shekels was approved to strengthen southern Israel. The region have witnessed for years rocket attacks by Hamas from the Gaza Strip.
Another budget was also approved for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, which is to be held in May 2019 in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that the additional salary for police officers "is very necessary and important, which stems from the need to pay the security forces for lack of tenure and employment protection."
However, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit warned that the cuts would significantly damage public services.
