The Knesset's Labor and Welfare Committee has unanimously approved the Hostages Law, which was later approved by the Knesset as well. The chairman of the committee, MK Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism), spoke about the law in an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News.
"We very much hope that the law will not be enforced, because as soon as, with God's help, the captives and abductees are freed and they return to their homes, there will be no need for the law. But in the current situation where 240 families are in impossible distress and are powerless and want to make noise all over the world in order to bring about the release of the hostages, they need the economic basis that we gave them, in very large sums," said Eichler
Eichler noted the participation of the Finance Ministry and the entire government, who "understood the magnitude of the disaster," and supported the passing of the law unanimously. According to the law, each family of an abductee will receive a grant of thirty thousand shekels in addition to the amount they are supposed to receive according to the compensation law, which is approximately 13 thousand shekels per month. The amount will be given once every three months, for a sum of ninety thousand shekels and "every three months another ninety thousand shekels for as long as the abductee is in captivity."
"It was very important to us that the law be passed by broad agreement because the country of a month ago was a country where almost nothing could be agreed upon. After such a disaster it was important that everyone agree. I came up with a bill that I proposed, that 83 MKs signed, so it is almost unanimous. Ministers and deputy ministers said they were sorry that the law did not allow them to sign the bill, and there were other individual MKs who were late. I wanted the law to be accepted unanimously in the Committee as well, because I want to represent a consensus."
Eichler stated that at the end of the discussion he pointed out to the members of the Committee that after raising the bar for aid to the families of prisoners of war due to their condition, it will be necessary to be more generous also with regard to the families of the murdered, the disabled in service to the IDF, and victims of hostilities. In this context, he mentioned the law he passed to aid the families of the disabled and the wounded, a law that was passed after a difficult struggle with the Finance Ministry. In his estimation, after the passing of the law that refers to the tragedy of the families of the kidnapped, things will be clearer regarding victims as well.
In this interview, he preferred not to discuss his opinion regarding the controversy surrounding the coalition funds. In his opinion, everyone knows very well what his opinion is, but in an interview concerning a sacred issue such as the treatment of hostages he prefers not to enter into an issue that separates those eligible from those whose budgets are considered coalitional, a definition he considers real racism. "I don't want to desecrate the sanctity of this day," he said.