May. 6, 2021
A set of reforms intended to overhaul government services for disabled Israeli army veterans is set to be presented to the cabinet for approval, three weeks after the self-immolation of a veteran set off protests calling for urgent action, according to a joint statement Thursday by the Israeli government and a veteran association.
The reforms took shape during extensive discussions between the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization non-profit and representatives of the Defense and Finance Ministries. They reforms include the allocation of a budget of 300 million shekels ($92 million) for the immediate treatment and rehabilitation of veterans of the Israel Defense Forces and defense agencies, “with an emphasis on post-trauma victims,” the ministries and veterans organization said in a statement. The Defense Ministry s veterans rehabilitation agency had initially requested 350 million shekels.
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel s military correspondent.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the swearing-in ceremony for the 24th Knesset, April 6, 2021. (Knesset spokesperson)
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.
Protests Erupt in Israel After Veteran Sets Himself on Fire
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Photos: Jerusalem Post
Hundreds of disabled Israeli veterans and their caregivers protested in the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday. They called for the end of the Defense Ministry’s “abandonment of the IDF’s handicapped.”
Last week disabled IDF veteran Itzik Saidian set himself on fire at an office of the Defense Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division triggering the protests.
The protests blocked the intersection of Kaplan Street next to Azrieli Center and one side of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.
Idan Kleiman, chairman of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, said that “the Defense Ministry’s Disability Rehabilitation Division is in a state of total disarray, both in terms of its functionality and values.” Furthermore, he slammed its “scandalous treatment” of handicapped veterans.
Netanyahu promises reform after disabled veterans stage mass protest in Tel Aviv
Netanyahu promises reform after disabled veterans stage mass protest in Tel Aviv
Both “first aid” and “comprehensive” reforms will be brought to the Cabinet within two weeks, promises Israeli premier.
Israeli veterans and disabled soldiers protest outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, April 18, 2021. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.
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(April 19, 2021 / JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with disabled Israel Defense Force veterans on Sunday in Tel Aviv, hours after hundreds of veterans blocked the city’s Ayalon highway in protest against their treatment by the Defense Ministry.
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Demonstrators in Tel Aviv, today, criticizing the Defense Ministry for its abandoment of the IDF s disabled Credit: Tomer Appelbaum
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On Sunday, Sheba Medical Center said that they completed Saidian s operation.
Dr. Moti Haretz, an expert in the burns unit, said that “the planned operation, which lasted about 3 hours, has ended. This is a familiar surgery for this type of injury. The injured is recovering but is still in a very serious condition, on a ventilator and anesthetic, and we are continuing to fight for his life.”
The demonstrators in Tel Aviv, which obstructed Kaplan Street and temporarily Ayalon Highway, called for an end to what they described as the ministry s abandonment of the IDF s handicapped.