Israeli Government Exposed for Redirecting Special Funds to Defense Budget for Urgent Weapon Purchases

According to news from Israel on the 9th, the Israeli government approved an emergency funding plan that day, deciding to reallocate funds originally designated for Intel Corporation to add 1 billion new shekels to the defense department's budget for urgent weapon procurement.

It is reported that the proposal approved by the Israeli government describes this funding as a special emergency transfer and states that this move is in light of the current state of emergency in Israel. The decision had previously been approved by the Israeli government's ministerial committee responsible for procurement on the 6th. This additional budget will not exceed the existing national budget framework.

Of this additional funding, 850 million new shekels come from a special fund originally planned by the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry for investment in technology and job promotion. This money was originally reserved for the American company Intel, but since the company recently froze its plans to build a factory in southern Israel, the funds were transferred to the Israel Defense Forces. The remaining 150 million new shekels come from this year's unexecuted early budget. This 1 billion new shekels will be entirely used for the urgent weapon procurement of the Israeli military, and specific details are currently prohibited from being publicly disclosed.

With this decision, the Israeli defense budget will reach a new record of 184 billion new shekels. Just a few days ago, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had informed the security cabinet of plans to increase the foreign defense funding planned for the next decade by an additional 50 billion new shekels. According to this proposal, the total long-term increase will rise from the previously announced 350 billion new shekels to 400 billion new shekels.

It is reported that before proposing the above long-term increase plan, Netanyahu did not consult with senior officials from the Ministry of Finance or the Bank of Israel. Several senior officials from the Ministry of Finance expressed shock at the proposal. Finance officials warned that if the plan is implemented, the government will have to raise taxes in the future and further cut the budget for people's livelihoods. (Reporter Zhao Bing from the General Station)