Government approves ‘comprehensive benefit plan’ for IDF reservists

The government approves a “comprehensive benefit plan” for IDF reservists worth around NIS 3 billion ($838 million), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin announce in a joint statement.

The plan, they state, “includes a series of economic and social benefits aimed at strengthening reservists, their families, and their employers in light of their significant contribution to national security, and in particular in anticipation of the expected expansion of ground maneuvers” in the Gaza Strip.

These benefits include unspecified tax credits, grants for employers of reservists, priority in government housing programs at a discount, support for small businesses, and priority in receiving services from government ministries, among other things.

“Our reservists do everything for the country. We need to give them everything. Our rule is simple: Whoever contributes to the country will be rewarded with compound interest,” Netanyahu says.

This move promotes “justice for reservists,” states Katz, while Levin adds that the government “will continue and do our best to honor our precious reserve soldiers.”

Given the soldiers’ sacrifices, this is “the least we can do,” says Smotrich, adding that this is the latest in a series of large allocations for reservists.

The announcement comes amid a storm over government moves to legislate military draft exemptions for Haredi men.

According to survey by the government’s Israeli Employment Service reported by Channel 12 in March, 75% of reservists who responded said they have been hurt economically, and 41% of respondents said they were fired or had to quit their jobs or close their businesses. The service noted, however, that these figures did not constitute a representative sample of the 1,000 reservists who were surveyed.