The government’s wartime decision to significantly boost the allocation of funds to coalition priorities while simultaneously slashing the budgets of all ministries by 3 percent is likely to harm public health, education and other public services, several experts who spoke with The Times of Israel in recent days have warned.

According to last week’s government decision, in order to boost defense spending by NIS 28 billion ($9 billion) amid the war with Iran, there will be cuts of NIS 84.3 million ($27 million) from the Welfare Ministry, NIS 66.6 million ($21.4 million) from the Health Ministry, and NIS 65.8 million ($21.2 million) from the education budget. They also include cuts of NIS 55 million ($17.7 million) in funding for science, culture and sports.

The cuts immediately led to objections from communities living on the borders with Lebanon and Gaza, who objected to the loss of approximately NIS 150 million ($48 million) “intended to restore and strengthen the frontline areas of the State of Israel.”

It also provoked concern among top public health experts, including Prof. Hagai Levine, the head of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians.

“The war is severely harming public health, causing serious disruptions in the supply of medical services, and will require a health rehabilitation plan. Therefore, a budget increase is required, not a horizontal cut,” Levine told The Times of Israel.

The current conflict with Iran follows “two years of difficult war with severe burnout of staff, physical damage to institutions like Soroka [Hospital], a chronic shortage of professional manpower, and low public spending,” he said, arguing that further cuts “mean harming health and human life.”

Levine said there were fears that critical prevention programs will be the ones specifically targeted.

Nadav Davidovitch, chairman of the Taub Center’s Health Policy Program, agreed, stating that the cuts could lead to........

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