Al Mayadeen English
"Israel's" government has pushed through yet another expansion of its 2025 budget, exposing the spiraling cost of its wars on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran while ordinary citizens face cuts in public services. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet approved a 30 billion shekel ($8.9 billion) hike on Tuesday, equivalent to 1.5% of GDP. The revision comes only five months after the Knesset passed the original budget, revealing how "Israel's" war machine is consuming national resources at unprecedented speed. Here’s what it’s really costing.
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Alexander Tuboltsev
Batool Subeiti
US envoy Barrack insults press; says ‘act civilized', threatens leaving conference
Speaking from the Presidential Palace of Lebanon, US envoy Tom Barrack addressed journalists in a condescending and offensive manner, setting what he called “a different set of rules” for the press. He demanded silence, warning that “the moment that this starts becoming chaotic, like animalistic, we’re gone,” effectively insulting his hosts by characterizing local journalists and, by extension, the region, as prone to “animalistic” behavior. Barrack continued by instructing reporters to “act civilized, act kind, act tolerant, because this is the problem with what’s happening in the region,” a sweeping generalization that reduces the Middle East to a caricature of disorder and intolerance, while positioning himself as the arbiter of acceptable conduct. He went further, questioning, “Do you think this is fun for us? Do you think this is economically beneficial for Morgan and I to be here putting up with this insanity?”
