BREAKING NEWS

PM defends defense budget increase to Knesset

By LAHAV HARKOV, JPOST.COM STAFF

DECEMBER 28, 2011 20:16

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defended the recent Knesset authorization of adding NIS 1.67 to the defense budget, rejecting criticism that the move threatened socioeconomic changes demanded by citizens this past summer.

"We have to keep the balance and defend our citizens and our budget," the prime minister told a Kadima-initiated 40 signatures discussion on the "Netanyahu government's failures."

"There is no defense without a good economy; defense costs a lot of money," he said.

Netanyahu turned to MKs critical of the defense budget addition, arguing that the move did not threaten the recommendations of the Trajenberg Committee for socioeconic change - a government committee tasked with forming solutions to the demands of social protesters this past summer.

"We are still passing [the Trajtenberg recommendations] chapter by chapter. We passed the taxes, the competition and articles on making the government more efficient," Netanyahu explained. "We haven't forgotten housing."

Taking a jab at Kadima, the largest opposition faction and the party that ruled the coalition in the last government, saying "I didn't see these benefits when you were in charge."

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