Disabled protesters block Highways 1, 4 in protest of PM's plan
Struggle for the Disabled organization continues protest, burning ties and stopping traffic near the Batsra Interchange in the Sharon plain area for about an hour and near Latrun for half an hour; protesters object to PM's plan to raise disability benefits to NIS 4,000 and demand stipend equals minimum wage, among other things.
A couple of dozen disabled protesters blocked Highway 4 near the Batsra Interchange in the Sharon plain area early Sunday and Highway 1 from the Latrun area toward Jerusalem around 1pm.
The activists burned tires and stopped traffic Highway 4's southbound lane for about an hour, while they blocked the road to the capital for about half an hour.
They are protesting a plan presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to raise disability benefits to NIS 4,000 a month starting January, demanding instead the benefits equal minimum wage—currently at NIS 5,000 a month.
The protesters carried signs reading, among other things, "The benefits are killing the disabled," while calling out "This is our money."
"We are fighting for a disability stipend equal to minimum wage and not given in stages," said Naomi Morbia, the chairwoman of the Struggle for the Disabled organization. "The prime minister's plan will only improve the lives of some of the disabled. The rest will continue to live in poverty and meagerness. We will continue our fight until we achieve our goal. The struggle will escalate in the foreseeable future."
According to the Prime Minister's Office and the chairman of the coalition, MK David Bitan, in January 2018 the pension for disabled people with a medical disability of 90 percent or more will be increased to NIS 4,000.
Meanwhile, people with a medical disability considered less than 90 percent, who are deemed unfit for work by the government and are living under the poverty line, will see their pensions increased to NIS 3,200.
Finally, in an effort to raise disability pensions for the remaining disabled individuals over the next four years to NIS 4,000 per month, the government will raise pensions for those with a medical disability below 90 percent over several stages to ensure the plan stays within budget. Nevertheless, it has yet to be determined whether or not this will apply to all people suffering various disabilities.
But Morbia and the other protesters rejected the plan soon after it was made public. "We reject completely the prime minister's plan. In reality, this plan will leave us at exactly the same place we are now," she said.
She maintained that "there are false pretences here, because only about 30 percent of disabled people have a medical disability of 90 percent or more, meaning 70 percent will get nothing besides an increase to NIS 3,200. We object completely to this discrimination and the creation of first and second class disabled."
