Barak Rules Out Defense Cuts To Fund Social Programs
Amid recent calls for the slashing of Israel’s security budget, Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded Thursday that “life itself precedes quality of life”, and that an investment in the country’s security is an “insurance policy”.
In an interview with Haaretz, Barak stated that the Defense Ministry is already cutting its NIS 40 billion budget, but that the Israeli social protesters will not find their “salvation” in said cuts.
“There is no possibility to implement these cuts to assist the public without exposing Israeli citizens to danger,” said Barak.
Barak’s statements come as a response to tent protesters and government agencies, including the Finance Ministry, who have been eyeing the defense budget as a possible source of cuts in order to fund social programs.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
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