Israeli officials announced on Wednesday that they plan to carry out massive increases in military spending every year through the next two decades, with an eye toward getting military spending up to 6.0% of the national GDP.
This would be the second highest military spending by GDP in the world among major economies. Only Saudi Arabia spends more, at about 10%. Israel has spent similar percentages in the past, but may struggle to justify such large hikes going forward.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credits a free market economy as allowing such massive increases, and this spending increase assumes Israel’s GDP will grow to $500 billion, up from its current $350 billion. Whether it can sustain such growth while throwing such a huge percentage of its economy down the drain as military expenditure is unclear.
Netanyahu, however, believes that this huge military would “increase Israel’s equity in the eyes of other countries and increase its diplomatic prowess.” What that actually means is anyone’s guess, as Israel tends to be on bad terms with most countries most of the time, and there aren’t a lot of countries with whom Israel might have a rapprochement if its military was just a bit bigger.
Selling the plan domestically may also be a challenge, as Israel’s military doesn’t exactly do a lot of war-fighting these days, despite the posturing of cabinet members. Israel simply doesn’t need a $30 billion annual military budget to occasionally fire a tank shell at Gaza and carry out airstrikes at random Syrian military bases.
“Israel simply doesn’t need a $30 billion annual military budget to occasionally fire a tank shell at Gaza and carry out airstrikes at random Syrian military bases.”
True, yet Netanyahu expects to need it. What is he planning? A war with Iran seems likely. Some big war seems certain. More aggression.
qualitative military edge is obsolete.
if they are going to continue down the road of belligerence towards all they will need more than that.
when the Syrian war ends it will be the first time there was peace and relative unity in the land between Lebanon and Iran for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Peace would have occurred much sooner if the USA didn’t interfere. But that wasn’t in the cards. Israeli influence in the US government resulted in massive US interventions in the region. Extremely costly in lives and money.
When people rant about Russian interference in “our” government, anyone sane must wonder. How much has Russian interference, assuming it existed, cost the nation? How much has Israeli interference cost? Which organizations have been forced to register as foreign agents?
It seems likely that, aside from the military-industrial complex benefiting from such an increase, with Israeli politicians getting kickbacks – just like in the US – Israel plans on starting more wars – first with Hizballah in Lebanon and then in Iran. An Iran war will be huge, even with the US doing most of the fighting for Israel, and Israel will need to defend against Hizballah and Syria at the very least. Plus Israel may suspect Russia might intervene in Lebanon and/or Iran and Israel would need every dime of military if they hope to survive that conflict.
The article quotes Israeli officials who foresee a level of military expenditures increasing to a level”equal to 6% of the national GDP”. I am assuming that they mean “6% of the American GDP”.