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Israeli Lawmakers to Forgo Salary Hikes in Show of Solidarity Amid Gaza War, Economic Damage

A local woman passes by a shop that displays an Israeli flag in the city of Tiberias, Israel, Nov. 8, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, announced on Wednesday that they decided to freeze their own planned pay raises, saying it was not the time for lawmakers to receive a salary bump as the Israeli economy suffered from the ongoing war with the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

“There is no need to justify the obvious: the members’ salaries will not increase during this time,” said Ofir Katz, who chairs the Knesset’s House Committee. Katz added that the salaries would also remain the same for the prime minister, president, judges, and other ministers.

This decision followed the recommendation of the committee that determines salaries and other payments to members of the Knesset, which said, “The difficult war that was imposed on us brings with it severe economic consequences for the entire economy and economic damage to many of the country’s citizens. Under these circumstances, members of the Knesset must set a personal example and forgo the expected increase in their salary.”

Israeli business and outside investment have suffered due to the war, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The committee responsible for recommending lawmaker wage hikes added: “This decision will also affect employees and former office holders whose wages are received by said office holders and will convey to the public a message of solidarity, responsibility, and values.”

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana had echoed those sentiments earlier this week in light of the war with Hamas.

“At this time, when the state and many of its citizens are dealing with the economic consequences of the war, just as I worked to cut NIS 80 million [$20.5 million] from the Knesset budget, I think it would be right for Knesset members to also be partners in the economic effort, which should be focused on rehabilitating communities and their residents,” Ohana wrote in a letter to the committee.

The salary hike of 8 percent from the current pay rate of 47,000 NIS (about $12,700) per month was set to go into effect for the lawmakers on Jan. 1 for the 2024 calendar year.

Already above the average Israeli salary of 12,804 NIS per month, the scheduled increase turned some heads as the country has been primarily focused on its wartime budget. Controversy erupted over the recently approved budget, which some members of the Knesset railed against since not all the money was allocated to the war effort. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich backed his budget plan, saying there was enough money at the moment to support military matters and all other areas.

The decision to freeze salary hikes was opposed by some judges, who are the highest paid members of Israel’s governing system, according to Hebrew-language media. The Israeli Supreme Court’s president receives approximately 98,000 NIS per month (about $26,000).

The scheduled pay increases for 2025 will be based on the estimated wage that was supposed to be set for 2024, meaning that lawmakers and members of government will see a double raise in their salaries compared to this year.

Typically, lawmakers have seen annual wage hikes in accordance with average market wage levels. In January 2023, their salaries rose by 5.1 percent after the Knesset was urged to veto a proposed 12.5 percent salary hike amid high inflation and a skyrocketing cost of living. Before then, salaries had been frozen in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post Israeli Lawmakers to Forgo Salary Hikes in Show of Solidarity Amid Gaza War, Economic Damage first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

i24 NewsThe Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.

According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.

In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.

The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.

Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.

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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen

The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.

IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.

Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.

Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.

Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.

Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.

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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 NewsBlue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.

Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.

Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.

“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”

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