Preschool (illustrative)
Preschool (illustrative)iStock

The Knesset's Finance Committee on Wednesday approved the demand of its chair, MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) and MK Yinon Azoulay (Shas) that educational institutions closed during Operation Guardian of the Walls be compensated for their financial loss along with other businesses.

Kikar Hashabbat reported that the compensation, set at 430 shekel per day for each day that the institution was closed in accordance with instructions issued by the IDF's Home Front Command, will be granted to institutions such as daycares, preschools, and kindergartens, which were closed.

However, the compensation is conditional on the institution's crediting of the parents who paid for those days.

The agreements with the Finance Ministry also included ordinances which reduce the taxes employers pay, such that it benefits businesses in mixed cities which suffered from rioting and violence during the Gaza operation.

Gafni told Kikar Hashabbat: "The compensation is less than we asked for, but for the first time, there is a benefit of indirect compensation for businesses which suffered in the mixed cities due to events such as this, despite the fact that it was not initially planned. We will request that the Tax Authority act to examine the issue in order to regulate it for future instances, if need be."