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Photo: Ata Awisat
Approved: IDF widows who remarry to continue receiving pension
Knesset passes bill allowing widows of slain IDF soldiers to remarry and continue receiving husbands' military pension. MK Ariel: Great injustice rectified
The Knesset passed on Monday a bill stating that widows of slain IDF soldiers can remarry and continue to receive their husbands' pensions.
Under the existing law, any IDF widow who remarries automatically loses her pension from the military.
Eighty-four MKs voted in favor of the proposal, with no lawmakers opposing or abstaining.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said before the vote, "I've been accompanying the widows of some of my best friends for decades, and I am happy for them when they are able to lead full lives with their partners, despite the pain.
"The security establishment and the State of Israel have a moral obligation to the widows and orphans, and this compensation should be considered not only as aid but as an expression of our appreciation for all those who paid the ultimate price, and for those whose worlds have been shattered – the widows who have remained alone in this terrible journey and the orphans who grow up without a father," he said.
Knesset Member Uri Ariel (National Union), one of the bill's initiators, said after it was approved, "During the past year I've received a number of phone calls from IDF widows who asked me whether they should get married or wait for the (pensions) law. I wept and vowed that, God willing, this law would pass.
"I want to thank the House for rectifying this great injustice," said the MK.
MK Haim Katz (Likud), chairman of the Labor, Welfare and Health Committee said, "I want to take this opportunity and ask for the IDF widows' forgiveness. We apologize for the injustice that was caused to you all these years and wish you luck on your new journey."
