Gilad Schalit arrives at his home in Mitzpe Hila 311.
(photo credit: IDF Spokesman)
Any captive soldier will automatically be considered an IDF disabled veteran
upon his return, if a bill drafted by MK Yisrael Hasson (Kadima)
passes.
Hasson, the head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee’s investigation into the Defense Ministry’s rehabilitation options,
proposed that captured soldiers that are returned to Israel should automatically
be considered 20 percent disabled.
RELATED:Schalit recognized as disabled IDF veteran After further examination, they could
be considered more disabled.
The Kadima MK said he initiated the
legislation after failing to come to an agreement on the matter with Defense
Ministry representatives after over a year of discussion.
“Right before
Gilad Schalit returned, the Defense Ministry director-general told me he would
automatically recognize Gilad and any other soldier who was captive for over two
weeks as a victim of post-traumatic stress,” Hasson said, adding that such
recognition is “essential to the rehabilitation process.”
“Captivity
causes trauma, and the soldier should be in a unique framework that is different
from any other military injury,” he explained.
“Our demand is based on
medical research, which proves that captivity can cause a wide range of
illnesses.”
According to Moshe Tzin, who heads the Defense Ministry’s
rehabilitation department, each captive upon his return must be examined
individually, and cannot automatically be considered 20% disabled.
“We do
not limit the extent of care for any captive, regardless of his disability
percentage,” Tzin said.