Friday, June 2, 2006
TEL AVIV — Israel's military, hampered by a budget shortfull, has suspended major programs in the army and navy.
"With the
defense budget, we are scratching the bottom," former Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, a Labor Party Knesset member, said. "Our strength over the last three to four years has declined by 30 percent as a result of cuts in the budget. If we don't preserve our military superiority, we won't be here."
Officials and industry sources said the Israel Defense Forces has blocked approval of major procurement projects required for the war against the Palestinian Authority and Hizbullah, Middle East Newsline reported. They said that virtually every project not financed by U.S. military aid has been affected.
On May 30, the Israeli Cabinet approved a 510 million shekel, or $113 million, cut in the Defense Ministry's budget of 33.5 billion shekels <$7.78 billion> for fiscal 2006. The Cabinet also rejected the Defense Ministry's request for a multi-year budget.
World Tribune
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