Minister of Finance Yisrael Katz announced that he will submit the 2021 budget to the government in December, amid squabbling on the issue with Coalition partner Blue and White.

Katz met on Sunday with the acting head of the budget department, Yogev Gardos, and the legal advisor of the Ministry of Finance Asi Messing and agreed that the state budget for 2021 and the arrangements laws will be prepared by the Treasury and submitted to the government for approval during December, in accordance with the professional considerations and the requested schedule.

In the coming days, the Ministry of Finance will hold a macro discussion to determine the budget goals, and at the same time, the professional preparatory work will be carried out in accordance with the established framework.

Katz stated that “as I promised, the Ministry of Finance is formulating the 2021 Budget Bill in a professional manner and in accordance with all the required processes and schedules.”

“The budget will address the need to deal with the prolongation of the Corona pandemic alongside the need to march the economy back to full employment and activity and growth,” he added.

Blue and White have threatened to take action against the Coalition if the budget is not formulated and presented.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Friday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and “discussed regional issues.”

Ahmed congratulated Netanyahu on the historic peace agreements signed last month with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain and said that Netanyahu “had led a historic move, the magnitude and full positive ramifications of which will only be understood by future generations,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.

Netanyahu updated Ahmed on his intention to immediately bring to Israel approximately 2,000 of the Falash Mura community currently sitting in Addis Ababa and Gondar, “out of his commitment to the continued Aliyah of Jews to Israel.”

Last week, Netanyahu submitted for Cabinet approval a proposal to invest NIS 370 million in bringing 2,000 members of the Falash Mura community to Israel.

Ahmed said that from his point-of-view, “there was no impediment and that this symbolizes the special bond between the peoples.”

The two also discussed the possibility of deepening agricultural cooperation and Israeli assistance.

Ahmed tweeted that he had a “good phone call” with Netanyahu “on strengthening Ethiopia-Israel ties and cooperation on agriculture. Among many topics we also discussed on regional issues of mutual interest.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two discussed “regional security issues, the Iranian aggression and the situation in Syria,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.

They also discussed “advancing bilateral cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus,” the statement added.

Additionally, Netanyahu conveyed greetings to Putin on the occasion of his birthday. The Russian president celebrates his 68^th birthday on Wednesday.

The Kremlin did not comment on the conversation.

The two leaders last met in Jerusalem in January.

The two have met and spoken by phone several times during the past years to coordinate activities in Syria, where Russia has placed significant forces and still backs Syrian President Basher al-Assad’s regime.

Jerusalem is interested in Moscow curbing Iran’s operations in the country, as it has significant sway on the goings-on in the war-torn country.

The United Nations (UN) selected a new Chief Justice for its Legal Committee and Israeli Legal Advisor Sarah Weiss Ma’udi was appointed to serve as the committee’s Vice-Chair for the 75^th General Assembly.

Weiss Ma’udi will represent the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG) of countries and will be the first Israeli woman to serve in this position.

Weiss Ma’udi has held various legal advisory positions at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including serving as Director of the Department of International Law.

She also founded the “Women in Diplomacy” network, which brings together diplomats from around the world.

She is the first Israeli Legal Adviser to be appointed as the 6th Committee Vice-Chair in almost 20 years, and the first female Israeli Legal Adviser to be chosen for such position.

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan welcomed the appointment and said that this is “an important achievement that also has a direct connection to the peace agreements we have signed and shows the potential for Israel to influence the organization.”

Of Weiss Maudi, he said that “just as she has contributed greatly to the work of the Israeli Mission, I am sure that Sarah’s rich legal experience will contribute to the operations of the UN.”

An Arab terrorist was shot dead Monday night by IDF troops while attacking an IDF post in Samaria.

The IDF stated that three terrorists hurled Molotov cocktails at IDF soldiers at a military post adjacent to Jenin, near the community of Einav in Samaria.

The soldiers responded with gunfire and hit one of the terrorists.

The other two terrorists fled the scene. The IDF launched a manhunt for them.

No Israeli were harmed in the attack.

The killed terrorist was identified as Samir Hamidi. He had served three and a half years in an Israeli prison for terrorism-related offenses and was a member of the Fatah.