By JPOST.COM STAFF
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday stated that the Israeli economy has been able to flourish in recent years mainly because of the calm Israel has experienced on the security front, a calm he warned would be damaged if the defense budget was cut.Speaking before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Barak said that "the defense budget has decreased consistently over the years...with the current instability in the region, this fact alone should end the argument on cutting the defense budget."Disputing the Finance Ministry's claims that the defense budget had actually gone up recently, Barak claimed that defense spending was slated to account for only 13 percent of the 2012 budget, whereas, 24 percent of the budget had gone toward defense in 1986.
Hamas offers Fatah responsibility of managing Gaza, including border
