The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has approved on second and third readings a bill aimed at improving benefits for reserve soldiers. The Knesset is expected to pass the bill into law later this week.
The proposal calls for soldiers to receive a minimum of 5,000 shekels ($1,410) a month if they are unemployed or lose wages as a result of absence from work. The bill also would require the government to determine the duties of reservists in times of emergencies and to present a yearly report on the level of capability of reservists.
The Winograd Committee report on the conduct of the Second Lebanon War pointed out that many reservists were sent into action on the front despite their not receiving proper training.