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.
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IDF veteran Itzik Saidyan, who set himself alight outside a Defense Ministry office on April 12, 2021 (screenshot: Channel 12)
The Defense Ministry on Tuesday pledged to improve its services for disabled army veterans, after an ex-soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder set himself alight outside its rehabilitation center.
Defense Ministry Director-General Amir Eshel said his ministry was responsible for driving Itzik Saidyan, 26, a veteran of the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, to desperation.
Saidyan remains in critical condition after the self-immolation on Monday. The IDF Veteran’s Association said that Saidyan was frustrated over his treatment by authorities. He was recognized by the Defense Ministry as having 25 percent disability from his post-traumatic stress disorder, but had requested 50% recognition. The ministry had refused, saying at least a portion of his condition was due to childhood trauma, not his military service.
Defense Ministry forms panel, says it is 'obligated to learn the lessons and implement them' as IDF veteran Itzik Saidyan in critical condition after setting himself alight
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