Democratic Front Chairman in the Israeli Knesset, Mohammad
Barakeh, said Tuesday that the military ministry request to increase its
spending reflects the aggressive intentions of the Israeli administration.
"This situation underlines that the status of the military
comes before the state. This is not a country with an army.”
As a member of the Israeli parliament’s Finance Committee, Barakeh
says that the request to increase the budget of the military ministry by 30
billion from its existing 46 billion shekels illustrates that the acts of
Israeli forces are “planned in full coordination with the government.”
Barakeh added, “The request comes after the aggression on Lebanon cost
two billion shekels. Whether or not Israeli forces have been victorious, there
is always a want in Israel
to increase its military budget.”
With one of highest expenditures in the world for its
military versus the state, the militarization of Israel accounts for well over a
third of its annual overall budget.
The Palestinian member of Israeli Knesset continued, “The
claim proves that the point of this government is war rather than a search for
ways toward a just peace and regional tranquility. Everyday we hear about
Israeli preparations for the coming war, saying that it may be regional. However
the government and the army have still not dissolved the aggression on Lebanon and its
consequences.”
Barakeh issued a call to “not respond to these demands, financial
histrionics, and the request to take the budgets of the poor and vulnerable
that are always required to pay the bill for Israeli war at the expense of
their own daily power.”
*sourced from PNN
