Knesset approved the law to finance 75% of Academic studies for discharged soldiers

At the end of long hours, and after the exchange of attacks between the coalition and the opposition, the proposal to finance studies for discharged soldiers was finally approved tonight (Monday to Tuesday). The Likud agreed to accept a compromise proposal presented at the last minute by Defense Minister Bnei Gantz, according to which the funding will be 75% of the tuition fee, along with an immediate transfer of the money to the fighters.

The coalition had a hard time finding the majority for long hours. Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas pledged to support the vote - but there was no certainty about the rest of his faction and the extent of their commitment to coalition discipline. The support of Idit Silman - who resigned from the coalition - was also not guaranteed. The bill was approved by a majority of 55 supporters against 6 opponents, while the remaining 61 MKs from the opposition and the coalition did not participate in the vote in the third reading, which the joint list turned into a no-confidence vote.
Shortly after midnight, Defense Minister Bnei Gantz surprisingly went to the podium with a compromise proposal for the Likud that was formulated together with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Knesset members in the party "A good ladder to get off the tree we climbed."
Last week, the Likud faction announced that it had unanimously decided not to support the bill in its current form. The coalition's proposal states that the tuition fee will be 66% and the rest of the deposit will be paid by the soldiers when they are released. The Likud demanded that the scholarship be funded 100% of the tuition fee - and that the deposit money be used by the discharged soldiers for other purposes.
Tonight the party agreed to compromise, saying at the end of the consultation that it had achieved a "victory for the Likud". The party said that "our struggle has led to an increase in scholarships for IDF fighters. The decision was made with the approval of all the leaders of the right-wing bloc, "and that upon her return to power she will change the law to 100% funding on behalf of the state.
"The last few days have been difficult for me as someone who grew up in the defense establishment, as someone who heads it today," Ganz said in a speech after proposing the compromise. "IDF soldiers have never been part of the political game - and I think everyone here should stand and look at themselves and ask, 'Where did we get to?' Some tell me that I should withdraw the debate - I hurt the Likud, and am portrayed as acting for the benefit of the soldiers.
"I decided to put an end to this. My goal is not to harm the Likud but to strengthen the IDF soldiers and maintain the integrity of the government. Therefore, I would like to offer to accept the reservation that was also proposed by the opposition and to increase the amount of the scholarship to 75%. "This is a proposal that preserves the leading principle underlying the system of system support, and increases what the combatant IDF soldiers have ever received. Most of all, this is a good proposal, which serves Israeli society," Ganz said.
"I ask everyone, both coalition and opposition, to vote in favor of this proposal in coordination with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who I would like to emphasize, joining a series of actions we do to strengthen IDF soldiers and the importance of service - raising living expenses, improving transportation and food and reservists. If we do that, we will stop the bad situation we are in when it comes to our commitment to IDF soldiers.
MK Galit Distel Atbrian did not wait for the decision and tweeted: "We have made progress. Thanks to the Likud's insistence, the funding for the soldiers has increased, hoping that nothing will fall apart by the time the vote is taken. " And until then - great Bnei Gantz. "MK Katie Sheetrit also tweeted:" Although not 100%, but without our insistence you would have received less. "
Defense Minister Bnei Gantz said after the Likud decision and before the vote that "with the approval of this law there are winners and none of them are sitting here in the Knesset plenum. The only winners are in ambush, patrols, planes and ships. Congratulations on finding the way to do what they deserve."
The law for discharged soldiers was enacted in 1984 with the aim of assisting discharged soldiers at the beginning of their journey in citizenship. A decade later, the "Absorption of Veterans" law was passed, effectively repealing its predecessor, and including a number of benefits in money, assistance and professional guidance, which make returning to citizenship easier: from preferred work to the release grant to the deposit.
Since the law was enacted, 23 amendments have been made to it, which were in fact extensions and benefits to the proposed law, including rent assistance for individual discharged soldiers, change of deposit amounts and the grant that will depend on the nature of the service and so on. The "Dimensions for Studies" program, which caused a great stir, is Amendment No. 24 to the existing law, and meets a need that has not been enshrined in legislation until now - academic studies for veterans and for special populations.
At the end of 32 months of combat service in the IDF, the male and female combatants go out for citizenship, and a significant number of them turn to academic or professional studies. The service and the duration of the service. This is an amount that can add up to more than 26,000 shekels for someone who has served full combat service, but he can not cover all bachelor's degree payments. per year.
Many of the fighters use some of the deposit money for psychometric studies, pre-academic preparatory courses and improvement or completion of matriculation, in order to be accepted for the degree itself. Also, the newly released have the option to direct the money to other channels such as starting a business, marriage, buying an apartment or land or alternatively get it directly into the account at the end of the five years and do with them as they wish.
Along with the deposit, there is also a release grant, the amount of which is determined according to the nature of the service. Warriors who have served 32 full months receive about 18,000 shekels. The money can be used for living on school days, but it is often used for other purposes as well.
All scholarships currently offered to combatants and veterans in general, come from donations from philanthropists from Israel and around the world, and are limited to a number of students depending on the amount of donations received.