The vote on cuts to the state budget was postponed yet again – this time by Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Yaakov Litzman in protest of the fact that Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson skipped the meeting, meeting only with Labor party members beforehand.
The committee was scheduled to vote on proposed cuts to the 2007 state budget. The vote was postponed three times already due to the refusal of Labor MKs to adhere to party discipline, claiming the cuts violated the mandate given them by the electorate.
Finance Ministry officials went to the press Sunday, calling the Defense Ministry’s assessment of funds needed to defend Israel against Iran “scary,” and saying the demands must be slashed. Currently, the Defense Ministry is demanding $2.32 billion to cover the cost of the Re-Engagement War and asking for $2.28 billion toward improving Israel’s military readiness. The defense establishment seeks to raise the core defense budget from $7.6 billion to $8.3 billion in 2007.
A heated argument broke out at a meeting Sunday between officials from the Finance and Defense ministries. The defense officials said that the populace now understands that it is not feasible to send reservists to war when budget cuts have cancelled all their training exercises and rendered their equipment outdated. Finance ministry officials said that the proposed defense budget would set Israel’s economy back 20 years and cripple civil ministries.
Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson (Kadima) met with Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz Sunday, along with the “rebel” MKs, Shelly Yachimovich, Orit Noked and Avishai Braverman. Over the Sabbath, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also met with Peretz as well, reportedly warning him of the personal price he and his party would pay if they torpedoed the budget.
Former Labor DM Attacks Halutz
Meanwhile, in addition to the attacks launched by Labor MKs against the government’s proposed fiscal policies, leading Labor MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has launched a scathing critique against IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz’s management of the war. The former Defense Minister told Army Radio that Halutz erred by trying to rely only on air force power to win the war.
"The mistake in this war was the notion that we could win it through air power alone,” Ben-Eliezer said. “Halutz is the greatest Air Force commander we have ever had, but he made a mistake in this war and he is awful."
Halutz spent his military career in the Air Force prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff in the months leading up to the Gaza withdrawal.
The committee was scheduled to vote on proposed cuts to the 2007 state budget. The vote was postponed three times already due to the refusal of Labor MKs to adhere to party discipline, claiming the cuts violated the mandate given them by the electorate.
Finance Ministry officials went to the press Sunday, calling the Defense Ministry’s assessment of funds needed to defend Israel against Iran “scary,” and saying the demands must be slashed. Currently, the Defense Ministry is demanding $2.32 billion to cover the cost of the Re-Engagement War and asking for $2.28 billion toward improving Israel’s military readiness. The defense establishment seeks to raise the core defense budget from $7.6 billion to $8.3 billion in 2007.
A heated argument broke out at a meeting Sunday between officials from the Finance and Defense ministries. The defense officials said that the populace now understands that it is not feasible to send reservists to war when budget cuts have cancelled all their training exercises and rendered their equipment outdated. Finance ministry officials said that the proposed defense budget would set Israel’s economy back 20 years and cripple civil ministries.
Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson (Kadima) met with Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz Sunday, along with the “rebel” MKs, Shelly Yachimovich, Orit Noked and Avishai Braverman. Over the Sabbath, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also met with Peretz as well, reportedly warning him of the personal price he and his party would pay if they torpedoed the budget.
Former Labor DM Attacks Halutz
Meanwhile, in addition to the attacks launched by Labor MKs against the government’s proposed fiscal policies, leading Labor MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has launched a scathing critique against IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz’s management of the war. The former Defense Minister told Army Radio that Halutz erred by trying to rely only on air force power to win the war.
"The mistake in this war was the notion that we could win it through air power alone,” Ben-Eliezer said. “Halutz is the greatest Air Force commander we have ever had, but he made a mistake in this war and he is awful."
Halutz spent his military career in the Air Force prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff in the months leading up to the Gaza withdrawal.