Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu andDefense Minister Ehud Barak metSaturday night to discuss the planned cutbacks in the government's budget, which are bound to affect the Defense Ministry.
Barak, who is adamantly against any cuts to the defense establishment's budget, detailed his reservations, saying that "the Iranian threat hasbudgetary implications."
The defense minister, along with several other security officials, implored Netanyahu to adhere to the Brodet Report, which recommended additional funds be given to the Defense Ministry, over several years. The Brodet recommendations were approved by the former government.
"Israel facescomplex security challenges – the Iranian threat,Hizbullah's threatand the perils of Hamas .Brodet's budget would allow us to meet these challenges."
According to Barak, "The existence of life in the Middle East should precede quality of life. The defense establishment is a key player in the Israeli market and it includes the military industries, exports and social ventures.
"These funds cannot be compromised because the challenges we face are unprecedented," he said.
The government has yet to make any final decision on the nature, or scope, of its future budget cuts. The Treasury's stand on a possible cut in the defense establishment's NIS 52 billion (approximately $12,267 billion) budget is unknown as well, as Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz agreed only to say that "the matter is still to be discussed."