Israeli Government Blocks Major IDF Disabled Veterans Rehabilitation Reform Amid Funding Dispute
The Israeli government has refrained from approving a key reform proposed by a professional committee led by Professor Shlomo Mor Yosef, aimed at overhauling the rehabilitation division of the Ministry of Defense for IDF disabled veterans. The decision was justified by the government citing a lack of budgetary sources, despite the reform being initiated under the directives of Defense Minister Yoav Kitz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Although Smotrich supports the committee's recommendations, the Finance Ministry refuses to finance the reform, arguing that the Defense Ministry should cover the costs from its own budget.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised the previous week to expedite a government decision on the matter, but this commitment has not been fulfilled. The Disabled IDF Veterans Organization condemned the government's inaction as a "national disgrace," emphasizing that tens of thousands of injured soldiers remain without the promised funding. They warned that if soldiers are sent to battle and injured, there will be no adequate rehabilitation support.
The central recommendation of the Mor Yosef committee is to replace the current rehabilitation division with a National Rehabilitation Authority endowed with broad powers to improve care quality for the thousands of new casualties from the October 7 war, adding to over 60,000 veterans already under care. Implementing the reform requires an initial budget of 2.5 billion shekels in the first year and about 2 billion shekels annually thereafter. Defense Minister Kitz urged immediate approval of the full recommendations and the necessary budget, estimated at around 25 billion shekels over ten years, in line with the Prime Minister's directives.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry warns of an imminent collapse of the rehabilitation division due to severe resource shortages and overwhelming workloads. The Disabled Veterans Organization reiterated that failure to approve the reform immediately will lead Israel into its greatest rehabilitation crisis ever.
