Following are excerpts from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting today:
 
"The Government will devote its meeting today to the draft 2009 budget.  The proposal will be submitted by Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On and the Finance Ministry.  I would like to make it clear – lest anyone forget the standard procedures for such discussion – that only the Finance Ministry may submit a draft budget to the Government for vote.  It is possible to agree, oppose or differ but only the Finance Ministry proposes the draft budget to the Government for vote and only the Finance Minister represents the Finance Ministry in Government deliberations.

The past week saw more than a little discussion about various alternatives and possibilities.  There is no doubt whatsoever that if we had unlimited means everyone of us could fully allocate to the issues that we define as important and we could all celebrate the state budget very nicely.  This is not the situation.  This is not the reality.  It has never been this way and, therefore, we must act cautiously and with restraint.  I would like to define two things at the outset: There will be no increase in the Government expenditure ceiling and there will be no increase in the deficit in the framework of the budget that we will vote on today.  The draft budget that we will discuss will be brought to a vote today.  We have no intention of postponing the discussions.  The vote will take place today after we conclude our deliberations.

I would like to remind ministers that there is a dramatic gap between the data as will certainly be submitted today by the Government regarding Israel's economic situation and the global economic situation.  2009 is liable to be a very difficult year for the global economy and there is concern that unless we act responsibly, cautiously and with restraint, the great achievements of the Israeli economy, as seen in the 2008 mid-year data, the stability that we achieved, and the progress that we have made in all areas, will be undermined, Heaven forbid.  The immediate result of increasing expenditures is liable to be a very significant blow to the stability of the Israeli economy."