The Israeli Defense Forces are requesting more than $1 billion in additional funds. The request comes after the Finance Ministry accused the Defense Ministry of not carrying out budget cuts of $85 million it had committed itself to. The dispute has drawn in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in order to make a final decision for the budget.
The Defense Ministry and the IDF have said that the cuts are actually more than double the original amount, $1.9 billion because of rising prices and a change in payment due to a rise in the retirement age of career soldiers.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has personally attacked the Finance Ministry, accusing them of reneging on an agreement between the two ministries three years ago.
"The Finance Ministry is acting against all rules of fair conduct. I am ashamed to be a government minister," he said during a debate at the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee.
The IDF and the Defense Ministry claim that the budget cuts undermine the IDFs ability to carry out its missions. They say that the depth of the cuts have happened too fast, and while they claim that they have become more efficient, they do not see a way to avoid damaging the IDF with the current rate of cuts.
In remarks at a ceremony commemorating fallen Bedouin soldiers, Ganzt said that "I've approved a plan that will unfortunately lead to the departure of many people… but I won't allow the basic rights of officers and NCOs to be affected."
The ministerial row comes as the conflict in Syria rages on, making Israel fear that advanced weapons are being transferred from the war-torn state into the hands of Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Unrest in the Egyptian-controlled Sinai has also been of concern for Israel, while the Islamist Hamas group, which controls Gaza, was recently discovered to have built an extensive tunnel into Israel.