While Defense Minister Ehud Barak succeeded in preventing budget cuts in defense spending, the treasury is still planning cuts in salaries and conditions for career military personnel. The planned move does not sit well with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi to say the least, leading to a confrontation between the two when Ashkenazi lost his cool, telling the prime minister that career personnel are not manpower agency employees and that they do not have a union to represent them. He slammed reports that the prime minister plans to raise retirement age of career officers. The prime minister rejected his criticism, stating one cannot say that the army cannot run more efficiently. Ashkenazi told the prime minister he needn’t accept his remarks and then left the room.
 
Ashkenazi later apologized, the daily Yisrael HaYom reports.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)