Four disabled protesters arrested after assaulting policemen
Continuing their struggle to raise disability benefits to equal minimum wage, some 15 protesters block northbound road near Ashdod, with four of them arrested after attacking policemen at the scene, as Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to arrive to the city to sign roof agreement.
Some 15 disabled protesters blocked Highway 4's northbound road at the Ashdod Interchange on Sunday afternoon as part of their ongoing struggle to raise their disability benefits to equal minimum wage.
The police arrested four of the disabled protestors after they threatened the policemen with parts of their wheelchairs, and then threatened to light themselves on fire.
When the police tried to prevent their actions, four of them began to beat the officers.
"The Israel Police acted with great restraint today with the disabled protestors, but will not allow physical violence against its people and the endangerment human life under the guise of legitimate protest," the police said.
Netanyahu is expected to arrive in Ashdod at 6pm Sunday to sign a roof agreement that would see more housing built in the city.
The protest led to heavy congestion and large police forces were deployed to the scene.
Police was negotiating with the protesters in an effort to convince them to block only one of the four lanes, while drivers confronted with protesters, calling on them to clear the road. Police directed traffic onto the nearby route 42 towards Yavne.
They are protesting a plan presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to raise disability benefits to NIS 4,000 a month starting January, demanding instead the benefits equal minimum wage—currently at NIS 5,000 a month.
According to the Prime Minister's Office and the chairman of the coalition, MK David Bitan, in January 2018 the pension for disabled people with a medical disability of 90 percent or more will be increased to NIS 4,000.
Meanwhile, people with a medical disability considered less than 90 percent, who are deemed unfit for work by the government and are living under the poverty line, will see their pensions increased to NIS 3,200.
Finally, in an effort to raise disability pensions for the remaining disabled individuals over the next four years to NIS 4,000 per month, the government will raise pensions for those with a medical disability below 90 percent over several stages to ensure the plan stays within budget. Nevertheless, it has yet to be determined whether or not this will apply to all people suffering various disabilities.
But Naomi Morbia, the chairwoman of the Struggle for the Disabled organization, and the other protesters rejected the plan soon after it was made public. "We reject completely the prime minister's plan. In reality, this plan will leave us at exactly the same place we are now," she said.
She maintained that "there are false pretences here, because only about 30 percent of disabled people have a medical disability of 90 percent or more, meaning 70 percent will get nothing besides an increase to NIS 3,200. We object completely to this discrimination and the creation of first and second class disabled."
