Protest
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Hundreds protest in Tel Aviv over disability pensions
Rabin Square fills up with activists demanding government raise payments to match minimum wage; '240,000 people abandoned by the authorities,' says organizer.
Hundreds of disabled Israelis convened in Tel Aviv on Thursday to protest over their pensions. They demanded the next Knesset pass legislation to improve their conditions. Several dozen youth activists joined their demonstration in Rabin Square.
Hanan Tal, one of the organizers of the event, said they were protesting the low levels of disability pensions in Israel. "There are 240,000 people abandoned by the authorities; this is a social struggle of the highest priority. We are hoping that in the next Knesset we will be considered and the payments will at the very least be updated to match the minimum wage."
Rabin Square rally (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
He explained that some of the disabled live on a pension of 2,400 shekels ($600), with which they have to pay for living expenses and rent. "You cannot live like that. The minimum wage has been raised by 700 shekels – and the cost of living is up as well. The disabled have been neglected entirely and they have much higher expenses."
Protest in Tel Aviv (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Itzik Bibka, from Givatayim: "We have pensions that do not allow us to live, there is immense difficulty in surviving that way. I have lost faith in the politicians; we are trying to send a message to the public to raise awareness of our plight."
Another couple from Givatayim said they relied on a foreign worker to help them with their needs. "My husband and I are disabled, and we need a lot of money for a foreign helper – the disability pension is not enough. We need to exist respectfully and we want the pension to match the minimum wage."
They emphasized: "It is hard to be disabled in Israel; we do not have equal opportunities."
