Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir has called a halt to further development of Israel’s communications satellite, “Amos,” according to the daily Haaretz.
Shamir vetoed the project when it became apparent that the government would have to invest $120 million over the next four years to get it off the ground.
Gad Ya’acobi, minister of economic planning and coordination in the last government, was unable to reach an agreement with the Defense Ministry on the project.
The Israel Defense Force objected to digging into the defense budget to pay for a communications satellite.
Israel launched its first satellite, Ofek-1, into orbit Sept. 19.
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