"The deficit was more or less expected," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in response to the Ministry of Finance's announcement that the budget deficit in 2012 was 4.2%, more than double the 2% target set in the original budget.
During a campaign stop in the north, Netanyahu said, "We expected a deficit of 3.9% of GDP, and a difference is 0.3 percentage points. I don’t think this will have a significant impact on the country's people."
Commenting on the security situation along the northern border, Netanyahu said, "I visit here from time to time. We're monitoring the changes in Syria and there are a lot of them. This has many consequences for Israel's security. That is why we're building ground barriers. I want to examine the option of stretching the fence all the way to Mount Hermon. We're monitoring what is happening in Syria, both the takeover by the rebels, and the chemical weapons. We're in close contact with the US."
As for former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's criticisms, Netanyahu said, "Olmert's remarks are pitiful and irresponsible from the man who wasted billions on the disengagement and the uprooting of Jews. We've invested in the strengthening of the IDF, the Israel Security Agency, and the Mossad. This is an attack by the supporters of the disengagement who are trying to incite the world against Israel at a time when we're trying to recruit the world against a nuclear Iran."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 13, 2013
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