In a historic vote, the cabinet unanimously voted on Monday in favor of a restitution package to compensate the families of some 1,050 new immigrant children from Yemen, Arab countries, and the Balkans who "disappeared" in the early years of the state.
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The matter of the unaccounted-for children of new immigrant families from these countries has been a painful one for Israeli society for decades and the focus of three different governmental commissions of inquiry.
In every case in which the commission of inquiry determined that a child died but his or her family was not informed about their deaths at the time will be paid 150,000 shekels ($46,000). If the fate of their children is undetermined, they family will be awarded 200,000 shekels ($61,300). The total cost of the restitution payments totals 162 million shekels ($49.6 million).
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I brought the cabinet a decision to pay restitution to the families hurt in the affair. This is one of the most painful episodes in the history of the state. It is time for the families who babies were taken from them to be recognized by the state and the government, and also receive restitution.
"The restitution cannot make up for the terrible suffering the families endured and still endure, which is intolerable. We need to give them the small comfort to which they are entitled," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he wanted Education Minister Yoav Gallant to make sure that the Yemenite children affair was covered in the Israeli history curriculum.
"I thank the ministers, the MKs, and former MK Nurit Koren, who worked on this matter, as well as cabinet secretary Tzahi Braverman, who successfully spearheaded the issue," the prime minister added.
Finance Minister Israel Katz said, "With this decision, the government of Israel acknowledges the painful affairs, which is imprinted on the history of the country, which has not yet been thoroughly investigated. We will work to give the wronged families their full rights, and begin to heal the wounds of history, if only a bit. We will also work to commemorate the glorious heritage of Yemenite Jewry, which is intertwined with the history of our people."
In response to the decision, Union Sefaradi Mundial, a nonprofit devoted to commemorating the legacy of Sephardi Jewry, expressed disapproval of the restitution plan, calling it "offensive" the families.
"This is an attack on history and the pain the families have carried in their hearts from the day they lost their children. Restitution in and of itself is not enough. The government must admit the state's responsibility for the events of their children's disappearance. If three commissions of inquiry weren't enough, clear statements must be made accepting responsibility. The Yemenite, Mizrachi, and Balkan Children Affair must be written about in history books, and should not be attempted to be glossed over as if it never happened," the organization said.
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