"From the public's point of view, Barak is responsible, reasonable and cares about the State's security, while Olmert doesn't," aides to Defense Minister Ehud Barak
told Ynet on Sunday evening.
Earlier Sunday, the government rejected a proposal issued by Barak to add NIS 7 billion (about $1.6 billion) to next year's defense budget and push back the debate on the Brodet Committee's recommendations on budget reform.
| 2008 Budget |
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| Ministers reject rise in defense budget / Ronny Sofer |
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Tense seven-hour meeting on 2008 defense budget ends with ministers voting against Defense Ministry's demand to increase budget by $1.6 billion. Chief of staff to cabinet: I'm warning you, if the budget doesn't pass – it'll be on your heads |
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A total of 16 ministers voted to accept the Brodet Committee's report, in accordance with the proposal put forward by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
– which bested Barak's. Only five ministers voted with Barak.
Olmert rebuffed claims that any failures during the Second Lebanon War had anything to do with budgetary difficulties.
"We've been through a difficult experience. There were many failings, but most of them aren't related to budgetary reasons. The attempt to depict the situation in that manner is disturbing," he said.
Barak presented his demand to increase the military's budget at the cabinet meeting, sparking harshly worded confrontations between defense and treasury officials.
Barak reportedly listed five points he vehemently refused to back down from: No cutbacks on training exercises, increasing troop numbers, maintaining the necessary stockpiles and preserving the IDF's strategic capabilities and long reach of its arm.
Following the meeting, the defense minister's associates noted that Olmert had gotten caught up in a small political game, while the defense minister was concerned about the State of Israel's national essential interests.
According to a Barak aide, "We did not plan to get into a clash, but this is what happened eventually, because Ehud Olmert chose to play a political game."
The source close to Barak said that the prime minister presented the government with two proposals without asking who opposed them, but only asking who supported his and the defense minister's proposal.
"One should have seen the senior ministers – Mofaz, Dichter, Eli Yishai and others – who carefully listened to the defense minister, in order to understand that it was Ehud Barak's stance that won," the aide said.
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