Barak LIED- Witholds Kassam Protection Funds

Just yesterday Defense Minister Ehud Barak Promised Sdrot that he would do everything possible to stop Kassam's from raining down on their children, the Jerusalem Post reports that he was lying. The former Prime Minister best known for inventing the "concede everything" negotiation method now used by Ehud Olmert, and the cut and run out of Lebanon which helped Hezbollah "get its groove" is with-holding funds from a rocket defense system that has already been approved. Why would he do such a thing? Because it was selected by the LAST defense minister.

Rafael's Iron Dome system was chosen in February by then-defense minister Amir Peretz as Israel's anti-Katyusha and Kassam rocket defense system. The system is designed to be capable of intercepting Kassam and Katyusha rockets with a small kinetic missile interceptor and is scheduled to be operational for deployment outside the Gaza Strip and along the northern border within two years. Its development is valued at $300 million.

According to sources close to the project, the $40 million given to Rafael for initial development has run out, and if the Defense Ministry wants to continue the system's development and begin production to keep to the two-year deadline, it will need to allocate at least an additional $80 million by the end of the month.

Upon taking office, and despite the fact that Rafael was already in advanced development stages, Barak decided to reopen the tender and to meet with all of the companies whose offers were previously rejected by a team of academics and technological experts from the Defense Ministry's Research and Development Authority (MAFAT).

Officials involved in the project and from the Defense Ministry called Barak's decision "strange" and politically-motivated.

"With rockets landing daily in Sderot and public pressure mounting, Barak needs to appear as if he is doing something," a senior defense official said in an attempt to explain the decision to reopen the tender.

One of the systems Barak has asked to review again is the Skyguard, a large and bulky chemical laser system that is under development by Northrop Grumman in the US. Other proposals included those made by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Lockheed Martin.

Despite the new review, defense officials said that Barak was likely to stick to the MAFAT committee decision to develop the Iron Dome. The officials were, however, critical of the decision to hold the review to begin with.

"This is a waste of time," one official involved in the project said. "The committee of experts already made their decision. They are not going to suddenly change it.

Source: JPost Barak holding Kassam defense money