Israeli Soldiers Forced to Swim in Toxic River will be Recognized as Disabled Veterans
March 03, 2022
All Israeli Navy veterans that were forced to swim in the heavily polluted Kishon River in northern Israel during service and have since contracted a disease will be recognized as Israeli Defense Force (IDF) disabled veterans, the Defense Ministry announced. For those affected, this will give them access to additional benefits and services, after years of refusal.
Until now, soldiers have not received this designation as a group, mainly because investigations were unable to definitively prove a connection between the illnesses and their time spent in the river. Though some veterans were recognized as IDF disabled veterans, most of them had developed their sicknesses while still in the military.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz called the decision, “historic justice”.
“The goal was to send a clear message to IDF soldiers: We are responsible for sending you to battle. We want to bring you home safely, and we will escort those who are injured. This is our responsibility, and it doesn’t have an expiration date,” Gantz said.
Located in northern Israel, the Kishon River was primarily used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste by petrochemical companies, turning the stream into one of the most polluted bodies of water in the country. The river was found to contain high levels of particularly toxic chemicals, like mercury and arsenic, killing off many of the fish and other wildlife that previously lived in it. Occasionally, the Kishon River would also catch on fire.
In December 2021, Gantz ordered a review of the matter. Former air force officer, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ran Bashvitz, was appointed to conduct the investigation and instructed to take a “holistic view, including scientific figures, illness rates, compounding influences and the trends in new research about exposure to dangerous chemicals,” the Defense Ministry said.
In that review, it was determined that soldiers’ exposure to toxic chemicals in the Kishon River was so extreme it’s said to be “incomparable to any other case like it.”
As a result, the ministry adopted a highly irregular across-the-board policy to recognize every “Kishon diver” who later contracted an illness, regardless of type, as an IDF disabled veteran and grant them the benefits that go along with that. These benefits are wide-ranging and include things like discounted municipal taxes, education grants, and property tax exemptions.
Though all veterans affected will be eligible, former cadets from the Israeli Naval Academy during the years in question will be fast-tracked for recognition as they spent particularly long periods of time in the river.
This decision was made as part of a wider effort in the Defense Ministry known as “One Soul,” – or “Nefesh Ahat” in Hebrew – which aims to improve the overall treatment of IDF disabled veterans.
This initiative was launched after an IDF disabled veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, Itzik Saidyan, set himself on fire outside a ministry office protesting against the poor treatment he had received. Saidyan sustained severe burns throughout his body and was near death for several weeks, he has since recovered somewhat and is able to leave his hospital bed.