Last update - 00:00 21/12/2006
Defense establishment requests NIS 5M more for 2007 budget
By Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondent
The defense establishment on Thursday asked the Finance Ministry to grant an additional NIS 5 billion to its budget, to top the NIS 1.9 billion it was promised earlier this week.
The Knesset Defense Budget Committee, in conjunction with the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Finance Committee, was set to vote Thursday on the budget recommended earlier this week by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. In the end, the committee refused to approve a proposed budget which offered no room to deal with security threats.
Discussion arose after Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the committee that the level of security threats had risen. The vote on the budget has been pushed off until next Tuesday.
Peretz told the Knesset Finance Committee on Monday that he needed an additional NIS 2 billion for the defense budget.
Thursday's request for NIS 5 billion includes NIS 3 for the base perennial budget and as well as a one-time payments of NIS 1.5 - 2 billion in 2007.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Tzachi Hanegbi said that the committee would request an immediate meeting with Olmert and Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson to try to convince them to increase the defense budget.
"We will not appove the budget submitted by the Finance Ministry. The submitted budget does not give sufficient response to the threat presented to us by Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, the Palestinians, world terror and others," Hanegbi said.
Hanegbi will petition to set the framework of the defense budget at a permanent NIS 36.5 billion, with an additional NIS 3.5 for this year "to cover past rifts."