MKs Fear War Costs Will Hurt Terrorism Apologist Budget

Jerusalem, July 13 – Legislators in Israel’s parliament voiced concern this morning that the continuing offensive against terrorist fighters and armaments in the Gaza Strip may deprive the government of funds it needs to pay government officials who excuse or enable terrorism.

The Knesset Budget Office released a report late last week analyzing the projected impact Operation Protective Edge will have on the country’s budget. Included in the report was an observation that if the operation’s costs exceed the Ministry of Defense’s allocated funds for 2014, the shortfall will have to be made up from the next line item in the national budget, which covers the salaries of several Members of Knesset who have used their positions to express support for Palestinians terrorists.

Of particular concern is MK Haneen Zoabi, who refused to call the abduction and murder of three Israeli teens last month terrorism at all, characterizing it as a legitimate means of resistance to military occupation. Her continued pronouncements against the legitimacy of Israel’s measures to defend its citizens from harm might no longer be funded by taxpayer money if the war continues at its present pace for more than two weeks and its costs mount.

Also facing cuts is MK Dr. Ahmad Tibi, who insisted on using his time at the Knesset podium to read the names of people killed in an Israeli air strike, in imitation of a widespread Jewish practice involving Holocaust victims, thus drawing a moral equivalence between innocents specifically targeted and people who  intentionally placed themselves in harm’s way to protect fighters.

The threat of reduced or eliminated funding for those who seek to undermine Israel from within its political system has not spared Jewish lawmakers. “If this conflict continues it will not only be the poor Palestinians who are threatened,” said Zahava Gal-On, forgetting about the Israeli communities facing constant rocket fire, the very reason for the offensive. “My colleagues in Meretz and the Arab parties are concerned for the robustness of Israeli democracy and diversity,” but apparently not for Israel itself.

Gal-On also noted that if the shortfall from the war cannot be covered even with the salaries of the seditious lawmakers, the next budget line to be compromised would be the one that funds incitement against the Haredim, which for Meretz would be a red line.