Posted on 02/27/2003 6:03:12 AM PST by RCW2001
NEW YORK The Bush administration is discriminating against the 800 US soldiers who man Patriot missile sites in Israel by failing to declare Israel a combat zone, a Congressman Gary Ackerman (D, N.Y.) said on Wednesday.
Ackerman, who visited Israel last week with the House subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, said servicemen stationed in Israel are not included in a program that grants a federal tax exemption to soldiers serving in combat areas.
"These troops manning our Patriot missile sites in Israel to guard against an attack by Saddam Hussein are on the front lines of the United States' potential war in Iraq," he said. "There is no reason why this federal tax exemption they would get in other countries in the region should not include them."
The exemption, if granted, would average about $130 per month, he said. Countries in the Middle East that are currently classified as combat zones, known officially as Qualified Hazardous Duty Areas, include Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, said Defense Department spokeswoman Maj. Sandy Troeber.
She said a country could be reclassified as a combat zone by an executive order from the president or through legislation enacted by Congress and approved by the president.
The White House did not return a call seeking comment, and legislation seeking to change Israel's status has not been proposed.
At US diplomatic posts in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, officials and staffers have been eligible for additional pay associated with a risky posting, called "danger pay," since 2002, State Department spokesman Gregg Sullivan said.
Ackerman said that he had contacted the Defense Department to discuss the issue and was awaiting a response.
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