Israel Gantz announces bill to prevent seizure of grants to immigrant soldiers

[Jacop]

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At present, only direct salaries are exempted from being seized by the Israeli government under cases of misconduct, meaning grants can be confiscated.​

Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued a joint statement with Immigration and Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata on Wednesday announcing that a bill to prevent the confiscation of grants and payments given to immigrant soldiers will be submitted for approval to the Ministerial Committee on Legislation this coming Sunday.


"I am proud to continue to strengthen the resilience of those who strive to serve,” said Gantz in the statement. “Immigrant and lone soldiers are not worthy of a push and assistance from the state - and that is exactly what we are doing with the law.

At present, only direct salaries are exempted from being seized by the Israeli government under cases of misconduct – meaning payments for rent assistance to individual immigrant soldiers and grants given to immigrant soldiers are at risk of confiscation.


"The lone soldiers are the best of our sons and daughters,” explained Tamano-Shata, who became the first Ethiopian-born woman to enter the Knesset in 2013 and the first Ethiopian-born minister in 2020. “Many of them left their countries of origin and immigrated to Israel especially to enlist in the IDF and protect the people of Israel from a place of deep mission. Together with the Minister of Defense, we will continue to take care of their well-being and make sure that they are not in short supply.”

“This bill, which I initiated with the Minister of Defense, will form a safety net for maintaining the allowances and funds that come to their account as assistance from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption while the soldiers are engaged in sacred work on the front lines," Tamano-Shata declared.

“I thank Pnina Tamano Sheta, whose heart and thoughts are – as usual – in the right place, and who initiated this important proposal,” Gantz concluded.