Cutting and fighting: Does more money really buy more security?

Israel's 2026 defense budget has grown from 112 billion shekels to 183 billion, nearly a quarter of the state budget. This week, the government approved an additional across-the-board cut of 2.6 billion shekels for defense. The article examines the cost of diverting funds from education, health, and welfare to security, and quotes Ofer Shelah warning of a military without a strategy and with unlimited resources.

Israel's 2026 defense budget originally stood at 112 billion shekels, but following a round of fighting with Iran and approved additions, it reached 183 billion shekels – nearly a quarter of the state budget. This week, the government approved another across-the-board cut in government ministries to transfer an additional 2.6 billion shekels to defense. The article raises the question of whether more money truly buys more security, noting that every shekel allocated to defense comes at the expense of education, health, and welfare. Ofer Shelah, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies and a former Knesset member, explains why the Treasury almost always loses the argument with the military, and warns of 'a military without a strategy and with unlimited resources,' drawing a comparison to the lost decade after the Yom Kippur War.