National Insurance Payments to Freed Prisoners Cut

The Knesset has passed legislation to cut National Insurance Institute payments to prisoners freed in diplomatic negotiations.

The new law will disqualify a prisoner sentenced to over 10 years in jail for terrorist crimes, and who is freed before the sentence, from receiving unemployment benefits, pension or work-injury compensation, until the date on which he was originally scheduled to leave prison.

The vote was 34-10 in favor of the bill proposed by coalition chairman Yariv Levin (Likud) and Yisrael Beitenu MKs Robert Ilatov and David Rotem.

“We just put an end to one of the most shameful scandals in Israeli law by blocking the pipeline through which Israeli citizens’ money flowed to the pockets of evil terrorists,” Levin said.

Similarly, Ilatov said the law ends the injustice of not only freeing terrorists before their terms are up, but of giving them a gift on the way out.

However MK Muhammad Barakei (Hadash) spoke out against the law, saying it is an expression of vengeful, right-wing ideology.

“Rights to National Insurance benefits come from being a citizen and there are some things the right-wing government should not touch,” Barakei said.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the July 9th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.