Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich hit back at accusations that he was playing politics with Israel’s defense after he blocked the procurement of F-15s and F-35s from Lockheed-Martin on Friday.
Smotrich blocked the purchase of more jet fighters from Lockheed-Martin, citing concerns that this was not the wisest way to improve defense capabilities. His critics in the Defense Ministry said he was just preventing the purchase for populist reasons.
Smotrich said in a statement that he had pushed for creating a committee to examine how best to equip the IDF in the future through an agreed-upon defense budget between the Prime Minister and the National Security Council.
“Israel’s security is no game. The delay in the establishment of the committee results in a delay in procurement important to the strengthening of the IDF and other security systems,” Smotrich said on Friday.
Time-sensitive purchase
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant criticized Smotrich’s attitude, saying, “The perception that it is possible to provide increasing security with less money, in the face of threats that are only increasing along with additional combat units, is a wrong perception that must change.”
“The State of Israel should invest twice as much in the defense budget – this is our main insurance policy, and we received evidence of this only a few weeks ago,” he said in a statement on Friday.
Gallant also highlighted that the issue was exceptionally time-sensitive, saying, “If we do not complete the process of purchasing the squadrons from the US within a month, the delivery of the planes could be delayed for three years and will increase the price for the State of Israel by an additional billion of shekels.”
A security black hole
Smotrich defended his position, saying, “The State of Israel should allocate much more money to security. But not for a failed security concept as was built in recent years according to the old concept and its promoters.”
“Pouring a sea of money into some black hole of the security establishment, without certainty that this money will actually create security, is not a serious proposal.”
He claimed that Gallant had been delaying the establishment of the previously mentioned committee.
“For many months, the Defense Minister has been delaying the establishment of a committee to examine the defense budget and its effectiveness in the face of the new threats. If the committee had acted as the Prime Minister and I demanded, it would have been possible to move forward with extensive security procurement that matches current and future threats.”
Smotrich then accused Gallant of “stubbornly refusing to cooperate” on the issue, “[I am] prepared and ready to allocate the full amount that will be required in order to field a mighty and realistic army.