The Labor and Welfare Committee chaired by MK Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism) approved its second and third readings of a bill submitted by MKs Ofir Katz (Likud), Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid), Michal Waldiger, (Religious Zionism Party) and others to recognize fiancées of IDF soldiers killed in Gaza, providing them financial compensation and social benefits.
The bill is first of its kind in recognizing fiancées of fallen soldiers, providing them certain benefits including monthly financial aid, emotional treatment, and others.
The law will also apply to fiancées and fiancés of police officers, prison guards, fallen Shin Bet operatives, and Mossad and Civil Defense officials.
The measure was submitted after it became clear that there are still quite a few women who were engaged for long periods of time before their partners were killed in Gaza, and unlike married women, were not in line for compensation.
"How can we even go on living?"
In today's discussion, Noa Rubin, the fiancée of the late Ariel Reich, an armored sergeant who was killed in Gaza, shared her pain: "They say, 'In their death, they commanded us to live.' What kind of life is this? How can you continue living? When you get engaged, you make an eternal covenant.
"How can it be that in the moment of truth my country is not behind me because I don't have a wedding ring on my finger? How can it be that we are left to deal with this burden alone? With the treatments, the overall costs? To attend university, get back to your feet without the most basic support?
The system I believed in abandoned me to face the hardest battle alone. Ariel and I were supposed to get married next Thursday. I gave you my whole world; I only ask that you see me. I can't carry everything on my shoulders alone."
MK Katz: "You are not a second-class citizen"
MK Ofir Katz, one of the initiators of the bill, responded to Noa's dilemma: "You are neither transparent nor second class. Because of the difficulty you shared, we submitted this law - to make it easier for you to face your hardships. We have already overcome most of the obstacles. I hope that next week the law will be finally approved, and you will receive the help you need instead of having to face the world alone without any assistance."
MK Merav Cohen said: "It is unimaginable that a woman who was supposed to stand under the wedding canopy a week from now is here today. She lost the love of her life; the one with whom she ran a home, even if not physically. Now is the time to lend a hand to this group. Thank you Noa for coming here to stand up for other women in your situation."
MK Eichler welcomed the approval of the bill by the committee and said: "The law will put an end to discrimination and help these women in their difficult time."
Conditions for recognition as an engaged couple
According to the proposal, which will face final approval tomorrow (Wednesday), the engagements of spouses who have already submitted an application for marriage registration will be automatically recognized.
If no registration is made, the bride or groom will be able to prove their intention to marry by meeting two of the conditions specified in the law, including a marriage proposal or an engagement party provided that the events had been published in writing or online and that the couple's family members and relatives knew of them in advance.
The conditions also include the couple's agreement in front of two witnesses of their intention to marry, including written documentation, an agreement to purchase or rent a residential apartment, the purchase of an engagement ring, as well as setting a date and place for the wedding, as well as the purchase or rental of a wedding dress.
