Tel Aviv: ISIS Is Merely the Latest Threat to the Jewish State
This week residents of Israel woke up to reports that a leading army analyst warned that in the next war Hezbollah will successfully seize a few Israeli villages near the border – before being beaten back. To some this news was alarming. To others this revelation was clearly part of the ongoing battle over the next Defense Ministry budget.
It is three weeks after the end of the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel is now in the midst of a debate on the state of the Middle East, in general, and what Israel’s role should be, specifically. The Ministry of Defense is demanding an increase of 11 billion shekel, or about $3 billion (out of an approximately $18 billion total budget). This new budget does not include the direct cost of the recent war, which is being reimbursed from this year's budget.
The defense establishment looks around the Middle East and see new threats. ISIS is practically on our Northern border. Hezbollah has gained strategic military experience, fighting on behalf of Assad in Syria. Islamic extremists are sitting in Sinai. Looking East at Jordan, one wonders what might happen if ISIS takes over that country.
To a defense hawk, Israel's situation has gotten all that more perilous in the past few years. Furthermore, after months of negotiations, it appears there have been no advances toward decreasing the potential nuclear threat Iran might present in another year or two. Add to all the challenges listed above the real threat that an "ISIS-like" group could develop in the West Bank, and it's very clear to a hawk that Israel needs to drastically increase its already significant defense spending.
http://www.newsweek.com/tel-aviv-isis-merely-latest-threat-jewish-state-271008
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That' s what keeps the right and the military establishment in power.
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The Ministry of Defense is demanding an increase of 11 billion shekel, or about $3 billion
