Olmert Slashes Defense Budget

Israel is now between two wars.

During the Lebanon War, massive negligence was revealed, such as empty military warehouses and soldiers going into battle without basic necessities like water.

Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran are preparing frenetically for the next war, which intelligence sources have predicted may occur as early as this summer.

Olmert's plan? Slash the defense budget. I kid you not:

IDF: Slashing Defense Budget will Damage Army Maneuvers

A senior IDF official said Sunday that plans to cut half a billion shekels from the defense budget would damage army maneuvers, reserve service days and the equipping of army forces, Israel Radio reported.

That amount translates to $119.5 million, which is nearly exactly what Israel just donated to the Fatah terror organization as the first installment in a $400 million total transfer.

The official added that, de facto, the defense budget also suffered similar cuts in 2007, despite the fact that the army was sorely in need of many billions of shekels.

Sources in the finance ministry claimed that the defense budget actually grew in 2007, but the army responded that the said funds were either funneled to the home front or used to renew army inventory that had dwindled during the Second Lebanon War.