Op-Ed: Terrorists Beware! Your Welfare Payments are at Stake!

Arutz Sheva ^ | 25/2/12 | Isaac Kohn

[Eleutheria5]

You don't know whether to laugh or cry when you read this half-cynical article.

Terrorists to Retain Half their National Insurance Benefits

The Knesset's Labor, Welfare and Health Committee voted Monday in favor of a bill that would cut 50 percent off National Insurance benefits to citizens involved in serious terrorist crimes. Government lawyers had opposed cutting off all benefits to terrorists……

The bill would reduce by 50 percent the stipends to Israeli citizens who were involved in terror activity and sentenced to at least ten years in jail for it.

MK Rotem said Monday, "This is a compromise.The original bill…included a complete cutoff…………of stipends to anyone who was convicted [of terrorism]…..however…when one seeks to harm terrorists, 'constitutional problems' crop up. The bill we have before us is better than nothing."

Attorney Shai Somech of the Justice Ministry told MKs who……"the use of stipends as a means of punishment creates constitutional and legal difficulties." In addition, he said…….Even so, the bill's wording is acceptable to us despite the difficulties."

Uri Eldar of the Socialist Education Fund expressed opposition to the bill. “We need to act as a civilized country."

At this moment, as I write these words...

.....

[Eleutheria5]

Let me see. If I fire missile at school bus, I lose 173 shekel a month stipend per child per month, and instead only get 86.5 shekels. If I don't fire missile at school bus, I lose all 72 virgins. That comes to about 1 shekel, 20 agarot per virgin per child. At least it's not 2 shekel, 40 agarot. But I'm still not sure what to do. Let me flip a coin. Decisions, decisions...

[MonicaG]

Funny.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Eleutheria5.

"This is a compromise.The original bill...included a complete cutoff............of stipends to anyone who was convicted [of terrorism].....however...when one seeks to harm terrorists, 'constitutional problems' crop up. The bill we have before us is better than nothing."

[GeronL]

Unfortunately the UK probably won’t even go that far