Israel seeks urgent billion shekel purchase of Apache helicopters, diverting Arab sector funds

The government is set to allocate on Wednesday some NIS 3.5 billion for urgent defense procurement, including a roughly one billion shekel deal to purchase Apache helicopters, The Jerusalem Post confirmed.The Finance Ministry told the Post that close to a billion shekels earmarked for the Apache helicopter purchase would be diverted from funds allocated to a five-year plan to develop Israel's Arab sector. The remaining NIS 68 million would come from the 2026 state budget.Government ministers were asked to approve the purchase via an urgent telephone vote, according to Israeli media.The decision comes two weeks before the elections, a period during which the government must generally exercise restraint and avoid actions that are not particularly urgent.A legal opinion attached to the government decision reportedly raised two main concerns: creating a situation in which the incoming government is faced with an irreversible situation, as well as risking prioritization of party interests over the public interest.This is a developing story. Shir Perets contributed to this report.