The Knesset plenum rejected in a preliminary reading the bill proposed by MK Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union), who seeks to equalize the amount of the old-age pension to an amount equal to the minimum wage per month.
MK Shmuli said that "the government spits in the face of the elderly and the founders of the state. After an insulting addition of NIS 6 to the annuity; to reject the proposal, this is a crime. None of the ministers could live off a NIS 2,000 stipend, but when it comes to the elderly, it's okay. "
Welfare Minister Chaim Katz (Likud) said, "The cost of this proposal is NIS 40 billion, which we do not have. This proposal is not serious. "