MK: Set up investigative body for Holocaust survivors
Zevulun Orlev threatens to create commission of inquiry to investigate treatment of Holocaust survivors; lack of cohesion in coalition reation of commission
Knesset Member Zevulun Orlev (National Union-NRP), head of the Knesset's State Control Committee, said Tuesday that he may attempt to set up a national commission of inquiry to investigate the problems associated with the Holocaust survivors' benefits.
Orlev threatened to sponsor a bill to create the commission if Holocaust survivors have still not received their full benefits in two weeks. According to the bill, the committee must immediately set up the commission based on the special report on Holocaust survivors, authored by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss.
Majority approval within the Knesset committee will be required to pass the bill.
Seven out of the 15 members of the committee are members of the opposition and the remaining eight represent parties in the coalition. However, in wake of increasing lack of cohesion within the coalition, there is a chance Orlev's bill may get enough votes to pass.
'Grave defects in current system'
If the bill does indeed pass, the president of the High Court, Dorit Beinish, will be tasked with appointing the members of the commission.
"The report from the state comptroller, reports from government representatives and Holocaust survivor organizations that were included in the meeting of the control committee today paint a very bleak picture," Orlev said.
"The government is humiliating Holocaust survivors and government offices are lagging in their obligation to properly care for them and give them their benefits in order to prevent poor health and under nutrition.
"Only with unmistakable proof that all obligations to Holocaust survivors are being lived up to will I refrain from setting up a commission of inquiry. If not, the government will have to deal with a commission that is empowered to name names and single out those responsible."
Lindenstrauss published a special report on the state of Holocaust survivor benefits in mid August. The comptroller was very critical of the various agencies that are responsible for the care of the survivors, saying there exist "grave defects" in the current system.
"The government's actions—in all of its various wings—in assisting Holocaust survivors are proceeding very sluggishly," Lindenstrauss declared. "Considering that the survivor population is elderly, sick and rapidly decreasing from year to year, the government must accelerate the pace of its care for them and must do everything in order to ease the hardships that they face."
Yael Branovsky contributed to this report
