From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Bennett unveils plan for increasing handicapped access across Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett unveils a sweeping multi-point plan for increasing handicapped access and integrating the disabled into the Israeli economy, stating that this will turn Israel into “a light unto the nations.”
Addressing supporters and representatives of the disabled community at an event in the central city of Bnei Brak, Bennett pledges to ensure that intercity buses become fully accessible and promises to encourage the disabled to enter the workforce without endangering their government benefits, which he says have until now provided an “incentive” not to seek employment.
Doing so, he says, will help people who are “not looking for a handout but looking for an opportunity” and will greatly benefit the Israeli economy.
The idea is the brainchild of Zach Cutler, a disabled US-born tech entrepreneur. Speaking with The Times of Israel, Cutler calls the program the “Israeli ADA,” referring to the United State’s landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990.
“Ground transportation needs a big improvement, busses and taxis. Also, tourism sites throughout Israel, heritage sites, nature sites, things like that. [And] we’re going to do a lot of things to mobilize the disabled community much more into the workforce. We can grow GDP by up to 1% if we add 12,000 people a year for the next 10 years,” he says — adding that Bennett’s party also intends to make it significantly easier for disabled Israelis to serve in the IDF.
“Right now, you have to volunteer if you have a disability… and you have to go through a committee. It’s almost like you’re begging them to be in the army. And so the plan calls for making like serious track for people with disabilities to have senior positions, great positions in 8200 [signals intelligence unit] and other top units in a more normal dignified way.”
The Times of Israel Community.