Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz today launched an unprecedented attack against the Ministry of Defense, which is threatening to halt defense projects due to budget cuts.
At today's cabinet meeting, Steinitz said, "We're not an army that has a country, but a country that has an army. This is an attempt to distort a rational debate on priorities." He added, "There is never enough money, not for defense or for education, or for welfare, but this campaign of leaks by army officers is a campaign aimed to mislead, because in actuality, the defense establishment has received billions in budget supplements."
Steinitz said, "We live in a democracy, in which the army does not set the priorities. The Israeli government sets the priorities, and in a democratic country, the army salutes the government's decision, and not does not undermine a government decision through leaks to the media and a campaign of threats against the government."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 19, 2012
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