Great news for parents of newborns: Up to 20 days' leave if infant kept at hospital

The Knesset Labor, Welfare, and Health Committee chaired by MK Israel Eichler has approved a proposal by MK Yinon Azulai and other MKs which states that a worker who has a newborn baby who must stay for an extended time in the hospital will be entitled to be absent from work for up to 20 days.

The original law proposal sought to restrict this to babies who are born prematurely and often kept at the hospital for long periods after birth, but at the behest of MK Eichler and MK Azulai, the committee decided to extend this entitlement to any parent dealing with such a situation.

The committee further determined that a worker will be entitled to decide whether this absence from work will be deducted from their legally mandated sick days or their mandated vacation days, as opposed to the original proposal which required that it be deducted from vacation days.