Last update - 00:00 17/08/2007
Survivors, Olmert fail to reach agreement on gov't allowances
By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent
Holocaust survivors failed to reach an agreement with the Prime Minister's Office in a meeting marred by discord Thursday night. The meeting addressed government allowances for Holocaust survivors who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, the so-called "second circle."
The parties had hoped to settle the final details of the agreement on the survivors' allowances, which is due to be signed Sunday by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the survivors.
The Holocaust refugees in question fled Nazi-occupied areas, and never lived through ghettos or camps. They suffered mainly later, under the Soviet regime, and came to Israel in recent years.
In previous meetings, the parties had said that NIS 300 million would be allocated to these individuals, who currently receive no special allowances.
However, PMO Director General Ra'anan Dinur angered the survivors Thursday by saying their problems should be dealt with under a national plan addressing of all senior citizens.
Nevertheless, the PMO and the survivors issued a joint statement following the meeting, stating that agreement had been reached on "most issues," and that "gaps remained" for the prime minister to settle on Sunday.