Israel’s Parliament has approved a massive increase in the defense budget, with a rise of several billion dollars. Bethsabée Salem, a correspondent in Israel, explains the reasons for this significant increase on LCI.
A substantial increase. The Israeli Parliament approved a massive increase in the defense budget on Monday, March 30, around 8 to 9 billion dollars, a month after the start of the conflict in the Middle East. The state’s expenses in this area have been rising sharply in recent years.
“It’s a 20% increase compared to last year”
, points Bethsabée Salem, a correspondent in Israel, on LCI. In this field, France has a slightly higher budget than Israel, even though it has a much higher population. However, “an Israeli funds six times more defense spending than a French person. It’s enormous economic pressure”
, notes the journalist on Monday.
The involvement of the Israeli state in several conflicts is behind this situation. Air defense and interception systems represent a high cost for Israel. “When ballistic missiles are intercepted, it costs between 1 and 3 million dollars each time. You have to multiply that by all the missiles that are fired”
, continues Bethsabée Salem. The significant mobilization of reservists also comes at a high cost.
For Israel, the economic cost of wars is significant. “The pressure is very heavy. Just before the war, the Israeli economy had just stabilized”
, concludes the correspondent, present in Tel Aviv.
