Special to WorldTribune.com

JERUSALEM — Israel, amid escalating tensions with Iran and Syria,
plans to slash its defense budget.

The Finance Ministry has drafted a budget for 2014 that called for a
$1.1 billion cut for the Defense Ministry. Under the draft, the defense
budget would amount to $15.3 billion, by far the largest in the government.

“I will not hand out money the state does not have,” Finance Minister
Yair Lapid said on May 8. “We will not be Greece — not on my watch.”

The Finance Ministry proposal was submitted on May 7 to the Cabinet.
Officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would study the proposal when he returns from China.

Officials said the Finance Ministry draft has aroused sharp opposition
from military and defense officials. They said the military warned of
significant cuts in the standing army, reserve duty as well as procurement
programs.

The government has long undergone a running battle between the Defense
Ministry and Finance Ministry. Finance has accused the Defense Ministry of
resisting transparency in both spending and programs.

  ‘We will not be Greece’: Israel’s finance minister plans to cut defense budget, $15.3 billion defense budget, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Lapid