From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 10, 2024
Gallant blasts Smotrich for holding up purchase of fighter jet squadrons from the US mid-war
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant slams Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for holding up approving the purchase of two fighter jet squadrons for the Israeli Air Force amid the war.
In April, Ynet news reported that Smotrich decided to veto the approval of the procurement of new F-15 and F-35 jets until a Knesset committee tasked with looking at the defense budget is convened.
Smotrich said at the time that he wouldn’t approve “strategic and long-term future force build-up” until after the committee publishes recommendations on the defense budget, claiming that “doing the same thing over and over again without learning from past mistakes will bring us a disaster.”
The two fighter jet squadrons are to be financed by US military aid to Israel, and not state funds.
“The Israeli perception that it is possible to provide increased security with less money, in the face of threats that are only increasing along with additional combat arenas, is a wrong perception that needs to change,” says Gallant to reporters.
Gallant says Israel’s defense budget needs to be doubled, citing the recent Iranian missile and drone attack on the country.
“The exchange of fire with Iran, and the international security situation, will lead to a global arms race, which forces us to accelerate the pace of military force build-up and procurement,” he says.
“If we do not complete the process of purchasing the squadrons from the US within a month, the planes will be delayed for three years, and will increase the price for the State of Israel by an additional billion NIS,” Gallant says, referring to the fact that another customer will take Israel’s place if it does not complete the deal soon.
“The delay in procurement is a blow to Israel’s security, and at a time when we are fighting a multi-front war, the implications are clear,” he adds.
Gallant’s statement was issued to reporters under an embargo.
During that time, Smotrich’s office got wind of the criticism and issued a statement of its own, saying the finance minister has requested that the cabinet secretary bring a resolution to the upcoming cabinet meeting to establish a committee that would examine Israel’s defense budget.
The statement says the committee will be established per the agreement of the prime minister and national security advisor.
“Israel’s security is not a game. The delay in the establishment of the committee results in a delay in procurement important to the force build-up of the IDF and the rest of the defense establishment,” Smotrich’s office says.
