Israel: Government officials' salaries to increase by almost 15%

The salaries of Israel’s top officials, including the president, prime minister, ministers and lawmakers, will increase by 15 percent at the start of 2023, according to Israeli media.

Judges are also set to benefit from the increases, as a salary freeze - introduced during the Covid pandemic - expires at the end of December. According to Israeli media, the highest-paid person is Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, whose monthly salary will rise from $30,000 to around $33,000.

President Isaac Herzog will receive a monthly increase from $18,000 to around $20,700. While outgoing prime minister Yair Lapid earns $15,700 a month, his planned successor, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, will earn about $18,000 a month starting next year.

Lapid, who is expected to become the new opposition leader, will see his salary rise from $14,000 to around $16,223 a month, the same salary as government ministers are entitled to. Deputy ministers will receive around $14,000, compared to $12,000 they are being paid currently.

The salaries of the Supreme Court judges will increase up to nearly $25,000 per month, while District court judges will receive over $20,000 per month. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel's average salary in September was $3,570.