The government approved the proposal of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to provide an economic safety net for protection racket victims amounting to tens of millions of shekels. The plan is intended for businesses and farmers who suffered damage from protection fees and are uninsured, with the aim of encouraging standing up to criminals and cooperation with enforcement authorities.
Yariv Ben-Ami, CEO of the 'Ad Kan' organization, recounted the importance of the decision in an interview on Radio Tzafon 104.5FM: "The Government of Israel recognizes its responsibility to provide protection to citizens; it's not my fault that a terrorist comes and burns my combine harvester, and I cannot bear this damage alone because the meaning of this is bankruptcy, and I won't be able to maintain businesses, and the entire region is fading due to this phenomenon – people cannot establish businesses."
Ben-Ami compared the new outline to the compensation mechanism existing for war damages: "The state says that just like in a security situation, when, Heaven forbid, a missile hits your vehicle – property tax comes and pays for the vehicle. A protection terrorist comes and burns your vehicle because he wants to extort you – the state will pay for the vehicle so that you have no interest in paying him and receiving so-called 'protection.' In fact, this matter breaks the protection equation in a way that I hope is very significant."
Since private and governmental insurance companies do not insure businesses against protection fee extortion, the compensation will be activated directly by the state. "Because there is no insurance, the state enters the event, through property tax," Ben-Ami explained. "We need to follow up and see that it is carried out accurately and will truly be available to the public, but I still think that this is a very significant achievement and a very significant statement."
However, the organization emphasizes that the economic step is only part of the required response. "The statement of the Finance Minister 'Do not pay protection, we are behind you' is a very important statement, and I expect all authorities, the prosecution, the courts, and the police to make the same statement and prove it in practice. Let there be no situation of revolving doors or plea bargains; we want to see them rotting in prison because of protection offenses," said Ben-Ami. "Even this fund will not solve the protection problem, but it needs to be part of a broad framework that will enable people to stand firm."
In conclusion, Ben-Ami clarified that the struggle to implement the decision on the ground is only at its beginning: "We are not naive, I received many responses saying that we are being taken for a ride. We have reached a certain goal and we will do everything so that the ball crosses the goal line – we will not stop until it happens."