Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel s military correspondent.
The government announces that it reached a compromise on a Defense Ministry plan to reform the treatment for wounded veterans, after a quarrel over funding halted the proposal earlier this week.
According to the Defense Ministry, the new plan will shortly be brought before the cabinet, where it is expected to receive the necessary approvals.
Following the announcement that the plan, dubbed One Soul, was being held up due to a budgetary fight between Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Israel Katz earlier this week, veterans groups held a series of protests against the delay.
Protest comes as government approval of One Soul, the Defense Ministry plan to improve treatment for disabled ex-soldiers, is held up by fighting over funding
Disabled IDF vets block Jerusalem roads in protest of treatment
Protesters demand government approve Defense Ministry s One Soul plan to improve treatment for disabled ex-soldiers, which is held up by fighting over funding
Chaim Golditch, Alexandra Lukash, Yoav Zitun, Nina Fox |
Published: 05.05.21 , 17:34
Hundreds of disabled IDF veterans and their families gathered outside the Knesset and blocked roads in Jerusalem Wednesday, in protest of the state s failed treatment of wounded veterans.
The issue has been brought into the spotlight after Itzik Saidyan, a 26-year-old former soldier who served in the 2014 Gaza war and suffered from severe PTSD, lit himself on fire due to the state s failure to increase his disability ranking.
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel s military correspondent.
Plans to reform the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Department to provide better care for wounded veterans came to a halt this week as political rivals Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz fought over the source of funding for the NIS 350 million ($108 million) proposal.
Earlier this month, the Defense Ministry unveiled its plans to improve the treatment for wounded veterans, dubbed “One Soul,” which would entail internal changes of its protocols, as well as require government approvals and some new legislation.
The cabinet was due to discuss the proposal last week, but this was postponed due to a fight within the government over the illegal appointment of a justice minister. It was rescheduled to Sunday, but this was also delayed as the cabinet canceled its meeting out of respect for the 45 people who were killed in the Mount Meron disaster last week.
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