Israeli Finance Ministry Rejects IDF Chief's Claims of Budget Shortfall, Urges Responsible Management

The Israeli Finance Ministry responded sharply to Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir's recent warnings about a "empty treasury" harming the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) readiness. The ministry rejected Zamir's claims, emphasizing that the defense budget has nearly tripled over the past two years and that all agreed funding commitments to the military have been fully met.

According to the Finance Ministry, since the outbreak of the war, it has financed IDF operations with hundreds of billions of shekels, balancing military needs with maintaining the country's economic stability and debt management. The ministry stressed that there has been no failure to deliver on any budget agreements, including those approved by the Knesset and additional budget arrangements.

In a pointed message to military leadership, the Finance Ministry urged defense officials to manage the billions allocated annually with efficiency and responsibility. This public dispute follows Zamir's remarks during a multi-front situation assessment, where he highlighted the IDF's high alert status amid tensions from Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, and warned that budget constraints are undermining military preparedness.

The budget conflict unfolds amid controversy over the retirement terms of the dismissed military advocate Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi. The IDF reportedly sought to grant her substantial retirement benefits worth millions of shekels, but the Finance Ministry blocked some payments due to ongoing criminal suspicions linked to her case. Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed Zamir to exhaust all available measures against Tomer-Yerushalmi and to revoke her rights and benefits, citing the severity of the allegations and the alleged harm to IDF soldiers.