Israelis who missed work due to rockets to be paid, excluding Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv is located abut 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the Gaza border and is therefore not included in the order, even though Home Front Command ordered non-essential businesses closed there.

By TZVI JOFFRE
People run to take shelter as a siren warning of incoming rockets sound as a spike in cross-border violence with Gaza continues, in Ashkelon, southern Israel (photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
People run to take shelter as a siren warning of incoming rockets sound as a spike in cross-border violence with Gaza continues, in Ashkelon, southern Israel
(photo credit: AMIR COHEN/REUTERS)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an extension order to expand the area in which compensation would be paid to workers who were forced to miss work due to Home Front Command orders issued during rocket fire from the Gaza Strip in a recent round of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist group in November.
The order expands the area to include people living or working within 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) of the Gaza border and obligates employers to pay their employees wages for the days they were forced to miss work due to directives issued by the Home Front Command.
Tel Aviv, located abut 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the Gaza border, is not included in the order, even though Home Front Command ordered non-essential businesses closed in the Gush Dan region which includes Tel Aviv.
The Israel Tax Authority said in November that businesses within 40 km. of the Gaza Strip would be entitled to file a claim for reimbursement for wages paid to employees who were absent from work.
Businesses will be entitled to payments through the Tax Authority’s compensation fund, which aids citizens who suffer damages resulting from “acts of hostility or war operations”; for employees who could not work due to Home Front instructions; and parents who needed to remain at home after schools closed for the day.
During a Knesset Finance Committee debate, committee chairman Moshe Gafni told participants that the Tax Authority had agreed to pay damages to restaurant and venue owners within seven km. of the Gaza Strip border.
The agreement, which will be enacted by amending existing legislation, will bring owners in line with compensation currently available to farmers and tourism companies situated in the area.
A round of fighting between Israel and the PIJ was sparked after Bahaa Abu al-'Ata, a commander of the PIJ, was assassinated by the IDF. Over 250 rockets were fired during the fighting, reaching as far as cities such as Tel Aviv and Modi'in in central Israel. The Home Front Command placed much of the south and central Israel under strict directives, including closing non-essential businesses and schools and limiting large gatherings.
Eytan Halon contributed to this report.